11 Multi-Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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This is a tricky little two-stage
multi that will bring you to the main surviving structure in the
Sawmill Conservation area in Burlington.
The Area
The Sawmill Conservation Area consists of 27 acres. Sawmill Brook
is a tributary to the Ipswich River watershed and abuts the Fox
Hill School. Sawmill Brook was a source of water power for local
sawmills, and many of Wood Hill’s old cart paths are still
visible. Old Farm Lane—now an unmarked trail—ran
perpendicular to the blue-blazed trail, connecting Simonds’
mill (lower mill) to the
Baldwin’s/Butters’/Clapp’s mill (upper mill). In
1869, a right of way easement preserved the right of Noah Clapp to
pass through the Simonds’ land via the Old Farm Lane. Old
Farm Lane ran northeast to the Wood Hill Road, which continued (and
still continues!) over Wood Hill. This route allowed local farmers
and millers to transport their goods to the Middlesex Canal.
There were two mills in the area, the upper and the lower. The
lower was actually upstream and next to a dam made of earth. The
lower dam was made of stone and had a large, wooden undershot
waterwheel. During operation, the valve of the dam gate opened and
water rushed through the wooden flume, under the wheel. This
provided turbine water wheel power to drive the mill using a metal
crank and metal connectors, the main saw frame, the
carriage-return, and possible additional woodworking machinery in
the ell. The mill dam is about 70 feet long and is quite
impressive, with tall, built-up stone walls on both sides. The dam
is typically about 15 feet wide. Historic Wood Hill Road continued
over the dam, down to Butters’ Row and to the Middlesex
Canal. The basin that lies west of the mill dam was clearly a mill
pond. The partially silted-in, main power sluice directed the
stream to the mill waterwheel pit. On the machinery floor level
there are several stone slabs, with projecting iron bolts and
hollowed out areas. These iron bolts were for cylindrical shafts
and possibly a waterwheel axle. Two spillway sluices penetrate and
cross the mill dam near its north end. This elaborate construction
runs about 100 feet downstream, easterly and perpendicular to the
mill dam.
The Cache
This is a "simple" two-stage cache. Stage one is a micro placed in
the turbine housing area of the upper mill. The final is not far
away but is more tricky to find than the first. If there has been a
lot of rain it may be wet and slippery in the area so use
caution.
There is parking at the end of Sawmill Road which is a rutted, dirt
road if you dare. I will caution you, if it has been raining or
snowing the road is difficult to navigate.
Good luck and good caching,
Loch Cache
Congrats to === phild31 and Eviltree
=== on the Co-FTF
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Oevat n synfuyvtug naq znlor obbgf
Treasures
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