Secret Messenger Multi-Cache
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This puzzle cache must be solved using information at the posted coordinates. The final is a very brief walk from the posted coordinates. Please ensure you replace the final in its elevated state - previous ground containers have been washed away.
Parking available in an adjacent parking lot.DO NOT park on Riverside Drive. Cache is not located along the stone wall or near any gravestones. Please do not disturb these historically significant items. Please restrict your visit to daylight hours.
Welcome to Davis Historical Cemetery - a recent acquisition by Perry Township - and final resting place for over 50 people including our "special messenger", Ann Simpson Davis.
Ann Simpson, who was born and raised in Pennsylvania, was handpicked by General Washington at the age of 16 to carry messages from Washington to his generals while they were in eastern Pennsylvania. Pretty red-haired Ann was an accomplished horsewoman and was a familiar sight to her Tory neighbors, making her the perfect candidate to slip unnoticed through the British ranks. She often carried the secret orders to her rendezvous at the various mills in and around Philadelphia and Bucks County, smuggling messages in the sacks of grain and vegetables, sometimes in bullets and in her clothing. Dressing up as an old woman pulled her through many tight spots in Philadelphia. She was never caught, but occasionally had to swallow the messages when she was searched.
Ann's service ended when General Washington left her area. She had displayed uncommon bravery and received a letter of commendation from General Washington thanking her for her services.
Ann married John Davis (also a recognized Revolutionary War veteran), a childhood friend, at the age of 19. In 1816, John and Ann moved to Dublin, Ohio, to claim land they had received for their Revolutionary War services. Ann resided until her death on June 6, 1851, in a brick house that stood on Riverside Drive just up from the cemetary. The house remained until 1977, when it was demolished to make room for a housing development.
Today, Ann and John lay side by side on a hill underneath a double marker in this cemetery. Note the carvings on the sides of the marker denoting their war stories. This cache begins at this double marker - change your position to be looking at the front of the marker. To determine the coordinates to the final stage, answer the following questions and use the answers to plug in the gaps in the coordinates below.
North {A} {B}.{C} West {D} {E}.{F}{G}
A. Look around for the marker for Joseph and Mary. The correct answer is the number of letters in Mary’s second name plus a 0.
B. On this same marker, find the number of letters in Joseph’s last name.
C. Return to your original position at the double marker. To your right is a relatively new marker for Dan. Subtract the birth year from the death year - save this number. Return to Joseph’s marker and do the same. Add these two numbers together. Subtract the value you found for [A] from this number. This is your final North coordinate.
D. Transpose the last 2 digits of Joseph’s birth year.
E. Find the day of Dan’s birth.
F. Find the tallest marker in the cemetery and note the year of the death. Add all of the digits of this year together and multiple by 3.
G. The number representing the decade in which Dan was born.
With the above answers you should have the coordinates for the final cache location. You will be less than a quarter of a mile from the cache location and it is within walking distance.
The second stage is a small camouflaged tupperware with room for small trade items. Please replace exactly as found and beware possible muggles in the area.
* * * * * Congratulations to lsoller on the FTF * * * * *
Thanks to Celtic Pretzel for the editorial corrections!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Sbe gur svany: lbh fubhyq or noyr gb jnyx sebz lbhe cnexvat ybpngvba jvgubhg pebffvat nal ebnqf.
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures