WGD 2013 - Mardela Springs Mystery Cache

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Hidden : 5/3/2013
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:


CACHE DETAILS:
The cache is NOT at the listed coords!!!


The listed coords will put you between 2 permanent signs.....one for the Barren Creek Springs Presbyterian Church and the other for the Barren Creek Spring House.

ABCD = the year the church was built
EFGH = the year (Ca.) the Springhouse was built
X = C - 1
Z = C + 1

MUSEUM PARKING: (park here to look for the cache)
N 38° 27.612 W 075° 45.542

CACHE COORDINATES:
N 38° 27.GXH W 075° 45.ZCD
N 38 27 . ___ ___ ___ W 075 45 . ___ ___ ___

CHECKSUM (G+X+H+Z+C+D) = 25

HISTORY:

In 1893 the village of Barren Creek Springs changed its name to Mardela Springs. The change was mostly economically motivated. The railroad had arrived in town in 1890 and several businessmen saw the chance to expand the market for the town’s bottled mineral water. But fearing city consumers would shy away from “Creek Water” they suggested changing the town’s name to the new combination of Maryland and Delaware – Mardela – Springs.

Visitors to the town today will find several sites that are part of the town’s heritage:
Barren Creek Springs Presbyterian Church

In 1834 Joshua Brattan, prominent farmer and landowner of Barren Creek Springs gave an acre of land, for "the love of literature and Religion," to a board of ten Presbyterian trustees to establish a school, cemetery, and church "on the county road between Barren Creek Mills and the Springs."
A restoration effort was completed in 1997. Today, most of the windows and all of the pews are original, as is the plain wood flooring, hanging oil lamp chandeliers and tall pulpit lamps. A pump organ, antique chairs, tables, and liturgical accessories have a place alongside the original furnishings.
In 2005 a local preservationist donated an original "Mason - Dixon" marker stone to be placed on the grounds of the Church. The stone is marked with an M on one side and a P on the other, for Maryland and Pennsylvania, which in 1765 included the three lower counties of Delaware.
The Barren Creek Springhouse


The springhouse was on the property of the original Barren Creek Springs Hotel. Travelers came to the area to take the health-giving waters offered by the spring. About 1860 a wooden structure was built so visitors could sit, soak their feet and drink from the constantly-running spring.
From the 1890s until the Depression, water from the spring was bottled and shipped by rail throughout the mid-Atlantic region.
Today the spring house has no vestige of its original Victorian appearance. Although the spring still runs, the water is not potable. A brief rest in the coolness of the Springhouse harkens back to a quieter, less hectic lifestyle.
Barren Creek Heritage Center and Museum

In the Barren Creek Heritage Museum, more than thirty permanent exhibits tell the story of the Barren Creek area & the town of Mardela Springs from 1660s to ca. 1950. Visitors can stroll through 300 years of history, following the stories of the area's earliest settlers from the Puckamee (Nanticoke) Indians to the tobacco planters, grist millers, enterprising shipbuilders, hotel keepers, spa operators, free black pioneers and spirital leaders who eventually made this area along the banks of the Nanticoke River home. Other facets of lower Eastern Shore life are explored in exhibits focusing on textiles, banking, early 20th century kitchens and parlors, sports and leisure, spirituality.
The museum also features a Hall of Heroes, which honors local men and women who have served in the military from the Revolution through the present Mid-Eastern wars.
This Cache Is Part Of The 2013 Wicomico Geocache Dash


The 2013 Wicomico Geocache Dash is a virtual trail that takes cachers to 20 sites located throughout Wicomico County. The locations feature Wicomico's "Hidden Treasures" - parks, museums, historical buildings, and waterways.

Thanks to the Westside Historical Society for permission to place this cache.

Thanks to CPL940 for helping with this hide!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

abg va gerr

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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