Fort On Shore Multi-Cache
Hidden : 6/14/2011
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:


Fort On Shore was the name given to the second fort built at the Falls of the Ohio and the first to be built on the mainland of what is now Louisville, Kentucky.

On May 27th 1778 General George Rogers Clark and his Militia along with 60 civilians settled on Dunmore's Island near the Falls of the Ohio.  Clark's intent was to establish a communication post there during the Revolutionary War under the disguise of it being a farming community.  Because of this he renamed the 43 acres island, Corn Island.  Unfortunately conditions were not ideal there, including the threat of flooding.

Realizing the need to relocate, General Clark ordered William Lynn to construct a new fort on the shore of the Ohio River later that year.  The fort was constructed near what is now 12th and Rowan Streets.  By early 1779 all the Corn Island settlers had relocated to the new fort.  Corn Island continued to be used for farming and hunting.

The increasing occurrence of Indian attacks, the potential threat of British attacks during the Revolutionary war, and the need to move to a higher vantage point prompted the construction of a new fort which began in 1781.  The second on shore fort, built by Richard Chenoweth, was located near the current 7th and Main street intersection.  It was named Fort Nelson after Thomas Nelson Jr. the then Governor of Virginia.  Kentucky was still part of Virginia at the time.  Fort Nelson was active from 1782 to 1786. 

The origin of the city of Louisville as we know it today began with the establishment of these three forts near the Falls of the Ohio River.

This is the first in a series of caches featuring the history of Louisville.  What better way to start than with the location of the first structure to be built on the Ohio River shore line of what is now Louisville.


Fort on Shore Fountain - 1912
The coordinates will take you to a new historical marker indicating the location of Fort On Shore.  In the early 1900's an iron fountain and horse watering trough was installed here to commemorate the location of the fort.  I located this site in 2010 using the old photo as reference.  All that remained of the fountain at the time was a concrete base and the original drain (see below the mule's front hoofs in the photo).  I had intended to place the cache inside the old water pipe at the top of the concrete base.  To my surprise when I returned to place the cache a historical marker had been placed where the hole was.  If I had hidden the cache a few days earlier it could have been permanently sealed in the concrete.


Fort On Shore - 2010


Fort on Shore - Present
This is a simple offset cache. From the historical marker head 60 feet East (18 paces) along the sidewalk before you start your search.

You are looking for a camouflaged RX container hidden near where an old harness shop use to sit (see old fountain photo).  Remember to bring a writing instrument to sign the log and please replace the cache as found hidden away from inquisitive eyes.  This cache could be done at anytime but for safety considerations I would recommend doing it during daylight hours.
Footnote:
In case you might be interested the vacant land between the flood wall and the interstate was at one time a railroad yard that served the now demolished Central Station which was located just north of Main on 7th Street.  The area to the south of the historic marker was once a residential area but suffered severe damage from the 1890 tornado which destroyed many Louisville buildings.  This part of town was rebuilt as a business and warehouse area and later became known as the Tobacco district because of the large concentration of tobacco warehouses once located here..

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Hahfrq Tngr

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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