WCG - Four Locks Mystery Cache
Hidden : 9/1/2013
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:


The Washington County GeoTrail

WCG - Four Locks



The Washington County GeoTrail (WCG) launched on Saturday, September 14, 2013. The Trail consists of over thirty-five (35) geocaches placed at points of interest all over the County. Caches will be found in National, State, County and Town parks as well as at museums, wineries, historical sites and places of natural beauty. A trackable geocoin was awarded to the first 500 geocachers who completed the Washington County Geotrail. The original allotment of Coins has been exhausted and new parameters to receive the updated Coin are below.

 To be eligible for the coin, GeoCachers may download the Washington County GeoTrail passport online at www.visitHAGERSTOWN.com or pick one up in person at the Visitor Welcome Center at 6 N. Potomac Street. Completed passports may be verified on site at the above address or by mail.

Please note the following Change. Washington County GeoCoins will be available for purchase at the Visitor Welcome Center for GeoCachers who log 20 or more caches on the Washington County GeoTrail. The cost of the GeoCoin will be $10. An additional $3.50 shipping charge will apply for passports redeemed by mail. For more information about geocaching in Washington County and the full complement of local amenities, the above links are your gateway to historically beautiful Washington County!

Participating in the WCG geotrail is fun and we hope that many people join in. However, it is not a requirement for logging your find on this cache once you find the container.
WCG – Four Locks


Four Locks, a Canal-based community back in the day, is part of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Four Locks was once a thriving community of homes and businesses in Washington County that supported the C & O Canal from the mid-19th century until its closure in the 1920’s. In its heyday, the community consisted of two stores, two warehouses, a dry dock for boat repairs, R & R facilities for mules, a school, a post office and about a dozen houses.

Early History

Situated on a small peninsula known as Prather’s Neck, Four Locks was named for the series of four canal locks – 47 through 50 – built at the site between 1836 and 1838, to avoid a 4-mile loop in the Potomac River and to handle a 33-foot difference in elevation. Over time, a close-knit community thrived at the site and continued for the life of the canal. Because of its location midway between Cumberland, Maryland and Washington, D.C., canal boats often stopped here for repairs, supplies and rest for the mules.

The Civil War

Though loud discussions of secession were heard to threaten Maryland's place in the Union, nearby Clear Spring, along with Four Locks, witnessed a number of pro-Union meetings, beginning as early as January 1861. Later during the war, on July 27, 1864, Four Locks was in the path of Confederate cavalry en route to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. A warehouse and two stores were burned that day by the Confederates. When word that the Pennsylvania militia was moving to intercept, the Confederates pulled out of Four Locks and went to meet the threat.

Four Locks Today

After the canal closed in 1924, the community declined and all but disappeared. As part of the C&O Canal National Historical Park, a few historic buildings and interpretive signs give visitors a glimpse into the canal's heyday. Evidence of a community is gone, but the physical landscape remains much as it was then.

Lockhouse #49 has been rehabilitated and is available for overnight visits through the "Canal Quarters" program operated by the C&O Canal Trust. The building is furnished in the style of the early 1920s, with baseboard heating and a small stove. It has two levels, two bedrooms, and sleeps eight. The restroom (convenience) is still outside.

The Washinton County GeoTrail and the Convention and Visitors Bureau are delighted to share a physical cache on the C & O Canal. As good stewards of the good green earth, all cachers are expected to tread lightly and leave no trace. Park hours are dawn to dusk. DO NOT seek this cache after dark. There is ample parking on site.

Read the signage at ground zero to complete a new set of coordinates. Puzzle : N 39* 36. A B C, W 077* 56. D C E where -

A = The final digit in the year in which construction on Four Locks was completed PLUS one.
B = The number of general stores located in the town of Four Locks.
C = The first digit in the year in which the C&O Canal closed.
D = The final digit in the year in which construction on Four Locks was completed.
E = The final digit in the year in which construction on Four Locks was started.

The cache you seek is a regular size lock n lock. No tough bushwack here. Thank You.

The Washington County GeoTrail wishes to Thank the Hagerstown Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau for their timely and continuing assistance with this Washington County adventure.

The WCG also wishes to thank the following geocachers who spent countless hours in planning and deploying the caches – ALs Guide, Always Lost 00, Kitakima, LPYankeefan, nomaland, Snurt, tazscouter, and tiger77aam.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

OEVQTR RAQ

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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