Leap of Faith
Old churches are beautiful to see. Galena is blessed to have seven churches that are over 150 years old. This Multi-cache will provide the opportunity for you to visit and learn about these buildings. You can research these churches online if you like. Actually I recommend it since I cannot do justice to the churches and keep this listing short enough to read. At each Church you will find obscure information that will help you determine the coordinates for the final container.
It is possible to drive to these churches but I recommend walking. Five of the churches are located on Bench Street and parking is a problem at times. The good news is that there is no 3-hour parking limit on Bench Street. One parking stall is good for all day.
You can find the Churches in any order you want. There are other caches to be found along the way so it should be a very interesting walk. The view of downtown from the hill is breathtaking. The listing coordinates for this cache will take you to the First Presbyterian Church. It was erected in 1838. It is a beautiful stone church. There are some handicapped parking spots in front of the church with signs. Count them and save the number as A.
Down the street you can see the First United Methodist Church. This is the church that Ulysses Grant and family attended. The church was founded in 1829 and John Corson Smith, another future Galena Civil War General, built this building in 1856. The number of handicapped parking spots in front is B.
St. Michael Catholic Church is nearby. Irish Catholics founded it in 1832. The first church was built in 183C. It was replaced in 1842 then burned down in the huge fire of 1856, which destroyed much of downtown Galena. The present building was finished in 1863. While standing in front of the church turn around. See those 3 story buildings? They are actually the backs of 4th, 5th, and 6th floors of Main Street Buildings. There are 3 digit numbers above the doors. Save the first digit as D.
The Westminister United Presbyterian church is newer. It was established in 1846. The building was completed in 1848. It was initially named the South Presbyterian Church. There is a small plaque above the door. The day in November that Keith Sincock was born is E.
The Grace Episcopal Church is a beautiful stone Church set into the Galena Hillside. The Church was founded in 1835 and the building was consecrated in 1850. The church address is FGH.
St. Matthew Lutheran Church is located on top of the hill. It is 2 doors away from Grant’s pre-Civil War home. It is the newest of the old churches being established in 1858 by German immigrants. The building was finished in 1864. The total number of lampposts on the sides of the steps is I.
Germans also built St Mary Catholic Church. When it was founded in 1850 there were almost 14,000 people living in Galena. Another Catholic Church was needed. They had to go up Franklin Street to find a spot to build it. The school was built above it on the hill. St. Joseph Hall was across the street where the church parking lot is now located. Above the church door you will see the word GEBAUT with a 4-digit number. The first digit of the number is J and the last digit of the number is K.
Using the information gathered on your tour you can now determine the coordinates for the cache final.
N 42 A, (B+I) . J, K, (I-F) W 090 D, C. (K-G), (H-I), E
There has been a slight change in the final for this cache. The property owners did some maintenance and moved the cache. If you are 7 feet tall it should be no problem for you. For the rest of us a reaching tool will be required. I raised the terrain difficulty to reflect the added obstacle. On the other hand, the final will be very easy to spot and muggles won't mess with it.
You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.