The year was 1885. Grover Cleveland had just been inaugurated the 22nd president of the United States. Mark Twain had just released his classic novel, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” And October 17, 1885, Spartanburg's first “public” library opened.
Thanks to a gift from Mrs. Helen Fayssoux Kennedy, the Kennedy Library opened its doors on the lot where her husband's office once stood. It began with a grand total of 900 books and a $3 per year subscription fee. Her gift honored her husband, Dr. Lionel Chalmers Kennedy, a well-known and respected physician who had died five years earlier. Among the library's first holdings was Dr. Kennedy's 600-volume medical library and some 300 other books collected and donated by the citizens of Spartanburg.
The library began an explosive period of growth between 1969 and 1979. An automated circulation system became operational in 1979, making Spartanburg the first public library in a four-state area to do so. A year later, the library system loaned half a million books for the first time.
New branches were added in many surrounding communities, one of which was the Town of Chesnee, South Carolina.
The original Chesnee branch library was opened in 1977 and the newly renovated building was opened in December of 2000.
The goal for the Chesnee library was to provide public library services for the northeastern corner of Spartanburg County.
The area surrounding the town is most famous for the Revolutionary War Battle of Cowpens that was fought January 17, 1781, which was a turning point for the Southern colonies that paved the way for the ultimate victory at Yorktown. The town of Chesnee was formed in 1911 as a stop along the newly formed Clinchfield Railroad. The Clinchfield Railroad ran an excursion train over the newly laid rails to Spartanburg on October 23, 1909.
In the early 20th century, the Chesnee Land Company bought a sizeable acreage at what is now Chesnee. A leading member of the company was John B. Cleveland of Spartanburg. Cleveland named the company, and later the town, after his great-grandmother, Margaret Chesnee, who was born in Scotland.
The Chesnee post office was established in 1910, and the town was chartered in 1911. Early businesses included a hotel, pharmacy, cotton mill, and lumber mill.
Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economical and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. He published seven novels, six short story collections, and two non-fiction works. Additional works, including three novels, four short story collections, and three non-fiction works, were published posthumously. Many of his works are considered classics of American literature
One of his classics was titled The Old Man and the Sea. It was written by Hemingway in 1951 in Cuba, and published in 1952. It was the last major work of fiction to be produced by Hemingway and published in his lifetime. One of his most famous works, it centers upon Santiago, an aging fisherman who struggles with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream.
While you won't be near the sea, nor will you be battling a giant marlin, your trivia skills will be needed to find the cache!
At the posted coordinates, you can park and solve a little math puzzle to solve for the final coordinates.
Hemmingway was known for his passion for "polydactyl" cats. He had over 50 of these roaming around his home in Key West. Visitors today will actually see many descendants of his cats.
These cats have *X* # of toes on each foot. The unique feature of these cats is what you will use to solve the simple math problem:
Final coordinates:
N 35° 08.ABC
W 081° 51.DEF
A = X minus 4
B = X minus 5
C = X minus 6
D = X minus 1
E = X plus 2
F = X minus 5
Please keep in mind that while you are searching for this container, the muggle-factor is ever-present!
Chesnee Library Hours:
Mon, Tues, Thurs - 10am to 8pm
Wed, Fri - 10am to 6pm
Sat - 10am to 4pm
Download your "Hitting the Books" Passport Grid here to begin:
