Faux Fort Crimea - "AND THE WAR CAME" Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

A_No1: Cleaning up and archiving some of my caches -- opening up areas for new and better caches. Cache container removed from location.

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Hidden : 9/23/2012
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2.5 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

Small cache hidden in Leakin Park.

"Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, AND THE WAR CAME." Abraham Lincoln, 2nd Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865. 




Adjacent to the historic Crimea Mansion in Leakin Park, and once in plain view of Franklintown Road (before many decades of natural intervention) are the rather intact remains of a fort's ramparts, upon which Cannons were once mounted peering out over a hillside towards the roadway. 

The impressive ramparts and cannons, for all their imposing glory on the Franklintown landscape, and were reality a hoax to try to dissuade the Union forces of the time from "despoiling" the Crimea property.



Thomas Winans built Crimea as a summer residence following his return to America from building Russia's first railroad from St. Petersburg to Moscow in the 1840's. It seems that Winans, a Southern sympathizer, constructed the curious rock fort in 1857, replete with intimidating (but fake and inoperable) cannons trained on the roadside below.  This was to deter the Union forces along the road from damaging or overtaking his property.  Mr. Winans, himself, did not man the fort, but rather spent much of his time tending to war business in the heart of Baltimore City.

So did it work?  Not quite. One morning, the gardener appeared in Mr. Winans' office to regretfully announce to him that the troops had despoiled the orchard, and apparently dismantled his fencing to construct campfires.  Still, this was the only known damage to the property, so it seems that the troops were at least a bit charitable to the Winans.  The fort may not have intimidated them, but one wonders if the weary troops were actually amused by this folly of camouflage. Regardless, Mr. Winans was not so fortunate.  Soon after this encounter, he was heralded off to imprisonment at a real fort, the famous Fort McHenry.  Only later would his local residence and sympathies be forgiven.



The cannons are gone and nature is reclaiming the fort, but is still a fun spot to explore. Down the hillside from the fort are the ruins of an old spring house and at the bottom of the hill you can check out a cave style ice house built into the hill side.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Whfg nabgure ebpx va gur jnyy.

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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