CCWMHB: The Industry That Never Was Traditional Cache
CCWMHB: The Industry That Never Was
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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CCWMHB stands for Chatham County - What Might Have Been. This is a series of six altoid-tin hides with log and altoid-tin sized swag that highlight just how often this one particular county in North Carolina managed to consistently and repeatedly manage to snatch Obscurity from the jaws of Fame and History.
HEADLINE FROM AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE:
CHATHAM COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA RETAINS ITS POSITION AS ONE OF THE FIRST AND LARGEST PRODUCERS OF SILK FABRIC IN THE UNITED STATES
THE REALITY:
The following was adapted from the book "Tales Beyond Fried Rabbit; Chatham's Historical Heritage" by Fred J. Vatter (2009, Chatham County Historical Assoiation) As early as the 1730's it was noted that the large number of mulberry trees that grew naturally in the area would make central Chatham County an excellent area to propagate silk worms for the production of silk. Although a few early efforts failed, "The popularity of silk culture in Chatham County appears to have peaked in the 1830's. An article in the Raleigh Register from November 3, 1831 reports that the family of J.W. Bynum during the prior season had raised silkworms sufficient to produce 600 pounds of cocoons, which they anticipated would yield 20,000 skeins of sewing silk 'equal if not superior to any italian silk imported'." Throughout the 1830's, ads in Chatham County newspapers reflected silkworm eggs and mulberry cutings for sale as more and more area farmers tried their hand at raising silkworms for profit. However the local mulberry trees, although acceptable, were not ideal and many Chinese and Italian Mulberry trees needed to be imported and grown.
Then in 1837 "one grower and his entire family became sick and blamed the silkworms as the source of their illness. Soon, most people were opposed to anyone engaging in the business in the neighborhood 'for fear it would cause some infectious disorder'. They could not be made to believe that silk culture was a business worth persuing, and many felt that it would take a lifetime to raise enough trees for a man to carry on his business."
Although the silk industry in Chatham County was largely disappeared by 1850, "we are reminded of that former endeavor by the community of Silk Hope and the gnarledold remnants of Italian and Chinese mulberry trees that have managed to survive here and there around the county."
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
zntargvp - rlr yriry
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