WV Civil War Trail Zone 5 - Civil War Romance Traditional Cache
Hidden : 7/28/2013
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

ExploreWV
Civil War Geotrail
Zone 5

Civil War Romance


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It has been said that all good things must come to and end. The Civil War Trail will come to that end on October 31, 2014. Thanks to all that have visited the many wonderful caches.

A Confederate soldier who had been incarcerated in a federal prison at Pt. Lookout, Maryland, was Thompson L. Walker, son of Council and Nancy Bailey Walker, of Mercer County. He left the prison on May 14, 1865, and he made his way as far south as Wyoming County, some 284 miles by way of the crow.

According to the traditional story shared by his descendant Susan Walker Jones, Thompson L. Walker reached a location just south of Oceana. Tired, hungry, and very sick, the ex-Confederate soldier decided to hide and rest and then take up his journey on into Mercer County. The place he had chosen to hide and rest happened to be at or near an area that was used as a grazing pasture for cows.

As fate would have it, one of the young girls who had a cow grazing there was the 15-year-old daughter of William and Juliette Cook Walker, Martilia F. Walker. She, according to the story, discovered the soldier’s presence in a cave. She fed him, comforted him, nursed him back to health and was mum about his hiding place.

Like one of those ironic situations found in romantic novels, Thompson L. Walker (1843-1916), ex-Confederate soldier, and Martilia F. Walker (1851-1927), daughter of Capt. William Walker, ex-Union soldier, staunch Unionist, and one of the makers of the State of West Virginia, were married Dec 11, 1866.

Thompson and Martilia Walker lived at Oceana, built a large home, and reared a large family. Both were buried in the Cook-Elkins Cemetery, Route 10, Oceana, across from Oceana High School. No one knows if he ever visited his original home in Mercer County again.

 What better way to celebrate our 150th birthday, learn about our involvement in the Civil War, and explore the beautiful State of West Virginia than to launch a statewide geotrail?

ExploreWV is happy to be launching our fourth series, with cooperation with the WV Division of Culture and History and the WV Sesquicentennial Commission. We have divided the state into five zones. Each zone contains 15 geocaches placed on or near historical Civil War sites for a total of 75 geocaches. In order to earn a geocoin for each zone, geocachers must find and document eight of 15 caches per zone. These geocoins have been created in the shape of each zone, meaning that if you are fortunate enough to be one of the first 140 geocachers to complete each zone and receive all five coins, they will form the State of West Virginia. As a bonus, a sixth geocoin was created to commemorate the state’s 150th birthday: be one of 75 people to complete all 75 caches in this series to receive this special coin.

In order to claim a geocoin, geocachers must take ONE sticker from each cache and place it in an official playbook. WHICH CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE. Once eight caches have been found, geocachers may proceed to the corresponding hotel located in the zone and receive your geocoin. All addresses are located within the official playbook.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: Only 140 geocoins for each zone were created. Please be aware there is a possibility that you may complete a zone but not make it in time to receive a coin for your efforts.

 We hope you enjoy learning about the significant role West Virginia played in this monumental war. It has been a privilege to create this challenge and share some great history with you!

Special thanks go to JBrooke06 for helping place this cache!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

zry tvofba naq z avtug fulnznyna grnzrq hc sbe guvf zbivr

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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