WCG - Clear Spring Hardware Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

WASH COUNTY GeoTrail: With 250 visits this WCG offering was wildly successful. Unfortunately it's hidey place has been compromised. High praise to nomaland for placing and maintaining it. Sad, but it is what it is. Thanks to ALL who have visited, logged, assigned favorite points and came away from Clear Spring with a rich and rewarding experience.

WCG

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Hidden : 8/26/2013
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:


The Washington County GeoTrail

WCG - Clear Spring Hardware
The Washington County GeoTrail (WCG) launches 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 will be awarded to the first 500 geocachers who complete the Washinton County Geotrail!

 To be eligible for the coin, geocachers must have a WCG Passport. Initial quantities of the passport are available at the Washington County Visitors Welcome Center (center square, Hagerstown). A downloadable version is also available from both the Convention and Vistors Bureau (CVB) and Maryland Geocaching Society (MGS) websites.

To claim a WCG geocoin, geocachers must find and log twenty (20) WCG geocaches, sign the cache logs, record the code word from each cache onto their passport, and have the passport verified at the Visitors Welcome Center (6 North Potomac Street). Please refer to the passport for complete validation instructions. We request that all family units, having more than one Geocaching.com caching account, accept one (1) WCG coin for the trail. This enables us to spread the most smilies to those who visit The Washington County GeoTrail. We appreciate your cooperation and hope that you enjoy the trail.

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 – Clear Spring Hardware

Operating continuously since 1820, the Clear Spring Hardware is an excellent example of endearing ‘mom & pop’ enterprise. With the growth of big box stores, the mom & pop’s like drive-in theaters have been steadily disappearing from the rural landscape.

Scenic Clear Spring sits at the base of Fairview Mountain along the old National Pike and just off Interstate # 70. Visitors to Clear Spring will find a quiet bedroom community of 500 inhabitants, the epitome of small-town America. At the beginning of the 19th century, however, the new town was bustling with excitement.

About 1739, the first settler to arrive in the area was Evan Shelby Sr. Purchasing 1200 acres of prime land, he operated a farm and trading business. Population growth was slow, and by 1752, Nathaniel Nesbitt bought land from Shelby and established his own farm. After the Indian uprising of 1763, during which Evan Shelby Jr. lost inventory from his father's trading business and his home burned to the ground, he and his family moved to Tennessee.

Next up the pike came Martin Myers in 1790, who through the years, was to benefit from the building of the Bank Road through his property. A business man by nature, Myers parceled his land into lots and named the new town Myersville. Myers established his pottery business next to an abundant ‘clear spring’ and sold his crockery there. Other businesses sprung up nearby as well, benefitting from close proximity to the spring. The Brewer Hotel advertised itself as the “Hotel at the Clear Spring.” By 1825, all references to Myersville were gone; the town became known as Clear Spring. It was incorporated in 1838.

The pride of Clear Spring and its historical society is Plumb Grove Mansion, built in 1831 by Jonathan Nesbitt Jr., grandson of the aforementioned Nathaniel. During the Civil War, the Nesbitt’s were able to hear the Battle of Antietam at Plumb Grove. The Historical Society acquired the property in 1981 and restored it to its 19th century appearance. The Society also has acquired a historic log home on Mill Street which was once owned by the “washer woman.” The washer woman, whose real name is lost in time, was said to cast spells on local people. She was said to have roamed the streets looking for clothes to wash.

Today, Clear Spring is three blocks long, with many of the original buildings still in use. The Historical Society's offices are in the original post office building and the Hardware Store is still there.

UPDATE NOTE - This cache is available only during the following times: 8:00 am - 5:00 PM (Mon-Fri) and 8:00 AM - 3 PM (Sat). See the hint below. Thank You & Thanks for Visiting Clear Spring. PLEASE do NOT be LOITERING in THIS area AFTER HOURS.

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

The WCG also wishes to thank the following hiders 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)

THNEQRQ OL GUR QBP

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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