It is located at the Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site, which bills itself as “Tennessee’s most historic site.” If that claim sounds overblown, consider that this site contains:
• A cave where paleontologists have recovered fossils from a prehistoric Dire Wolf.
• A cave (the same one) where Daniel Boone is likely to have sheltered.
• A site visited by André Michaux, one of the first and most important botanists to catalog North American plants.
• The home of Col. John Tipton, Revolutionary War officer, Member of the Virginia General Assembly, Delegate to the first North Carolina Convention to ratify the U.S. Constitution, and Delegate to the Conventions that established the new state of Tennessee and wrote its Constitution and Bill of Rights.
• Site of the Battle of Franklin, the only battle fought over the attempt to establish a state named Franklin on the west side of the North Carolina mountains.
• Home of Landon Carter Haynes, confederate Senator from Tennessee.
The site is open from 9 am to 4 pm Tuesday - Saturday, March 1 – October 31. For winter hours, call (423) 926-3631. Please do not seek this cache outside of these hours.
Admission Fee Waived for Geocaching!
There is a modest admission fee to visit the site, but this fee is graciously waived for geocachers seeking this cache. If you would like to see the rest of the site, you will be expected to pay the admission fee to do so. To receive free admission to seek the geocache only, simply provide the cache’s ID number (GC58NFD) to the welcome desk attendant. Ask for "Dr. McLaughlin" if the attendant doesn't know about the free access for geocaching.
The Battle of Franklin
Did you know we almost had a state named Franklin in this area, instead of Tennessee?
When John Sevier became the first Governor of the would-be State of Franklin, North Carolina pushed back, and Col. John Tipton was North Carolina's chief enforcer in the area. While Sevier was briefly absent from his home, Tipton authorized the local sheriff to take two slaves from Sevier’s home, ostensibly to account for Sevier’s unpaid taxes to the state of North Carolina. This precipitated the Battle of Franklin, fought here at Col. Tipton’s home.
The above, as far as it goes, is established history. Less well-substantiated is an interesting letter that I recently discovered in an exhaustive search of the archives hidden in the output tray of my computer’s printer. This letter seems to have some relevance to the events surrounding the removal of the slaves from John Sevier’s farm by Col. Tipton.
My best effort to decipher the handwriting in the letter yields the following text:
To: the Honorable “Governor” John Sevier
You will by now have ascertained that, in your absence from home, I have authorized Sheriff Pugh to remove slaves therefrom, as security against timely payment of taxes which you owe in arrears to the State of North Carolina.
In the exercise of such a solemn duty, perhaps you will appreciate that from time to time, certain deputies, possessed of a spirit of mischief (and possibly some degree of inebriation), might conceive of an opportunity for some tomfoolery, such as the appropriation of additional personal property, beyond that which they were duly authorized to take.
Whatever the cause, you will wish to be advised that I have come into the possession of a certain item of your property which I which I deem likely to hold a highly personal value to you, and which I do not doubt you shall be anxious to recover.
As I am an honorable man, I graciously offer you the opportunity to recover this valuable item, at your convenience. I have secured the item in a secret location on my farm. To recover the item, you will find clear directions to the secret location in a small white building in the rear of my home.
I will confess that the deputies have such an infectious spirit of frivolity that I am occasionally tempted to partake in it myself. So I will fore-warn you that finding the clue will require you to put your hands into a place where no man could wish to do so!
I shall retain possession of the slaves as security against the payment of your taxes presently in arrears and being owed to the State of North Carolina.
Col. John Tipton
By a most amazing coincidence, the coordinates of the first stage of this geocache will take you directly to the clue mentioned in the letter above. If you can find the clue, it should lead you directly to the geocache, which has been hidden in the spot where Col. Tipton may (or may not) have hidden an unknown item of John Sevier’s personal property.
So what was that unknown item? Find the cache and see. More importantly, due to the miracle of modern geocaching, you also have an opportunity to seek treasure here, and perhaps to make some history of your own.
Some stealth may be required. I recommend seeking Col. Tipton's clue in "privacy." You'll know what that means when you get there. Potentially useful supplies include a flashlight and a map of the grounds. The map is available at the welcome desk. As always, liability for all hazards associated with seeking this cache is assumed solely by the person seeking the cache, and is expressly disclaimed by the cache owner.
Please don't forget to thank the Tipton-Haynes people for their permission and support of this geocache!