BAC, Chesapeake District, Cache to Eagle #7 Letterbox Hybrid
Death Wish Dave: I stopped by to check on this one and it was missing. I can't even see a good spot to hide a replacement and I don't have another stamp so I'm going to archive it. It's been a good run.
BAC, Chesapeake District, Cache to Eagle #7
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This cache is part of a nationwide geocaching series called ”Cache to Eagle” that showcases special contributions that Eagle Scouts have made to their community.
Reaching the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America requires years of dedication and hard work. In addition to 21 required merit badges, each Scout must complete a project that — on average — requires 167 service hours. In 2008 alone, that translated to $16 million in service (based on the national volunteer hour value of $19.51).
For over 300 years (1664 - 1970's), the Todd family lived and worked the land, passing the property from father to son for 10 generations. The land was their inheritance, and in 1765 the family farms were combined into a single holding named "Todd's Inheritance." Todd's Inheritance played a key roll in the Battle of North Point and helped prevent the British from capturing Baltimore during the War of 1812. From Todd's Inheritance, with its strategic view of the Chesapeake, American mounted sentries kept watch for invading British forces. Among the militia stationed here were two Todd family members. Following the battle, the retiring British burned the original Todd home.
Since that time, the house had sat vacant for years but recently, there has been an attempt to open the house to the public. That’s hasn’t happened yet (May 2011) but the local community tries to keep it up as best as possible. Two different Eagle Scout projects have repaired and painted the fence that fronts North Point Road. The published coordinates are for the historical marker at the old farmhouse.
Over its first 100 years, Scouting has provided millions of hours of service to communities across America. For our 100th Anniversary, we’re celebrating that legacy with special service opportunities through "A Year of Celebration, A Century of Making a Difference". You can join us, and even earn a commemorative patch! The Baltimore Area Council, Chesapeake District series of Cache to Eagle caches will number 12 eventually, and each one will have a card that contains one of the 12 points of the Scout Law. Keep track of each one and when you’ve visited all twelve, send me an email with this codeword and the particular associated number within the series (this is number 7), and the first 25 people will be eligible to receive a commemorative Cache to Eagle patch. Visit Scouting.org/100years to learn more.
To find the cache, read the following story:
As an Assistant ScoutMaster, I am in charge of placing geocaches to promote the Cache to Eagle program for the Chesapeake District of the Baltimore Area Council of the Boys Scouts of America. I knew that at least two Boy Scouts had helped repair and paint fences around Todd’s Inheritance as part of their Eagle Projects. I was interested in finding out more about the property and was introduced to an old gentleman named Jonathan Todd, who was a descendant from the original Todd family. He proudly explained how his family and the old homestead had helped fight back the British during the bombardment when our national anthem was written. The British burned the old home in their retreat but many of the family members had performed heroic deeds during that battle. I asked if there were any famous younger men, approximately Boy Scout age that I could share with my Scouts. Mr. Todd cleared his throat, and then told me the following story:
“It was late afternoon on September 14, 1814 and news had come through that the British had failed to capture the port of Baltimore. Thomas Todd, the patriarch and owner of the “Inheritance” believed it was due to the warning that his grandsons had given to the garrison in Baltimore that the British had docked ships and 4700 troops were headed up Long Log Lane from Old Road Bay to attack Baltimore from the land route. It had been two days since the forces had passed and young Calvin Todd was glad to get out of the house and play on the south fence of the old brick homestead. Ever since the British had first come through, everyone had stayed inside the house, fearing that more would come. To pass the time, he had been working with his mother sewing military uniforms. He had hoped to be a tailor like his Aunt Mary Pickersgill and had been helping her ever since he turned 12 this past summer. She brought her tailoring skills and business with her when she moved to Baltimore from England.
Calvin was climbing a tree and had just jumped down when he heard the watchmen call from the lookout. He climbed back into the tree and looked up the road and could see a dark cloud not too far away and could hear the horse hoofs clopping on the hard-packed dirt. He began to run into the house when his great grandfather came running out with a container in his hand.
“Calvin!” he called, “The British are retreating after their failure in Baltimore. They’re coming fast and burning everything in their path!” Calvin was getting worried. Thomas went on, “Son, the militia will hold them off for a while but there’s something I need you to take and hide. If it gets into British hands, it will mean the end of the war for our nation. As the British are burning everything in the path back to their ships, take this to where they won’t go and hide it as best you can. Stay there until you know the British have left. The fate of our country rests with you.” Before Calvin could ask what he was given, Thomas gave him a shove and ran back to the house to manage the preparations to fend off the British and to get the rest of the family safely away from the house.
Calvin was gobsmacked. He couldn’t believe what was happening. First, he looked at the curious container. It was a little larger than his hand with his fingers outstretched, opaque and had some sort of locking mechanisms on all four sides. On the inside of the lid was a miniature 15-star flag, just like the huge one his Aunt Mary had made for Fort McHenry in Baltimore. Inside the box was some sort of ornate metal contraption that Calvin recognized as a decoder that he had seen the Maryland Dragon Militia use when writing secret codes. He didn’t have long to look at it before he heard the soldiers' voices.
He looked north again and realized that the clouds that he had seen were fields burning. He had to go. Since running North meant running straight into the hands of the British forces, he started running South along Long Log Lane to where he knew the British ships had anchored. He reckoned they’d sack the whole peninsula to the spot where they had a straight shot to get back to their ships. He looked back one more time and saw that the soldiers had arrived at his house. He could hear the angry words among the thick British accents accusing the Todds of getting word to the garrison in Baltimore of their impending attack. He heard the guns raise and ran all the faster. After 0.88 miles, he turned off Long Log Lane away from Old Road Bay, where the British warships were anchored. He followed along the hard road until he reached the old wagon road that went straight East towards the wide open Chesapeake Bay. From there, he walked 54 ells along the south side of the road until he found the perfect spot--a small, hollow tree trunk. Then, he waited until he knew the British were gone. After what seemed like a lifetime, he walked back to the house to find it burned to the foundation. By God’s grace, none of his family was killed. By the time the house was beginning to get rebuilt in 1816, the war was over and there was no reason to attempt recovery of the mysterious box.”
Mr. Todd told me that when he was much younger, he had tried to find the container but never had any success. He said that he thinks it's on the way down to Fort Howard and is pretty sure he got awfully close. He said he found the bed of the old wagon road but it was so overgrown with thorn plants and poison ivy that he could barely follow it. Where he stopped his searching, he placed an old metal signpost, figuring he’d get back another day to continue the search even further down the wagon road. Mr. Todd daydreams about searching for it again but he thinks the old wagon road is fenced in nowadays. But, he surmises, if the fence is just on the south side of the wagon road, the box might be right up next to it. “Anyway,” he says with false bravado, “I’m too old to go traipsing in the wood looking for Early American Tupperware containers.”
If you are able to be the first to find this after almost 200 years, feel free to take the trackable decoder if it is still there.
As with all Letterbox Hybrids, please do not take the stamp that is in the container. It is not SWAG. If you'd like to take an impression of the stamp, bring your own stamp pad as the container isn't quite large enough for one.
I would highly recommend long pants, long shirt, hat, gloves, and plenty of bug spray if you go after this cache in warm months. In winter, the terrain is probably closer to a 1.5.
 Poison Plant Alert  Thorns
 No Wheelchair Access  Restricted hours  Less than 500 ft. from car to cache
 Long pants suggested  Snakes
 Mud!  Bring a pen or pencil  Historic Site  Ticks  Wear bug repellant!
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Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
1. Qb fbzr erfrnepu ba ebnq anzrf naq byq zrnfherzragf naq gura cybg Pnyiva'f cngu jvgu Tbbtyr Zncf. Vg znl fgvyy fubj gur byq jntba ebnq. 2. Gur uneq ebnq vf fgvyy gurer naq vf nfcunyg, ohg gur byq jntba ebnq gb gur jvqr bcra Purfncrnxr Onl vf ab ybatre rnfl gb svaq. Fgnl ba gur bhgfvqr bs gur sraprq nern nf gung vf HF Tbi'g Cebcregl. 3. Abgr gung Byq Ebnq Onl vf abg eryngrq gb gur "byq jntba ebnq" zragvbarq. Va snpg, gurl ner ba bccbfvgr fvqrf bs gur cravafhyn. 4. Gur SGSref (plpyrnatryn naq pbbyrl1103) fnvq gung gur fznyy ubyybj gerr vf fgvyy fgnaqvat evtug arkg gb gur srapr. Gurl chg gur pbagnvare onpx ohg gbbx gur zlfgrevbhf qrpbqre.
Treasures
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