The other 5 caches in this series with letters and numbers inside are: GC6YMYB, GC6YMYG, GC6YMYX, GC6YMZ0, GC6YMZ5.
Make note of the first YEAR painted on the water tank....... it will come in handy later!
Water Supply Tank
In 1911, a public well and watering trough was built here in downtown (old town) Coppell. Half of the cost was borne by the community and half by the county.
In the 1960’s, the City of Coppell replaced it by building a much larger water tank to accommodate a rapidly expanding population. Automatic pumps supplied water to those residents who chose to pay for city water, but the controls often malfunctioned and had to be operated manually day and night until repairs could be made. The city logo was painted by the Exchange Club in 1976 when Coppell was preparing to celebrate the Bicentennial.
In the decade of the 1940’s, a washateria, located just nearby, allowed residents to wash clothes in wringer washing machines and the waste water ran out into the creek behind.
Just to the west is located the Bethel Road Barber Shop which prior to 1997 was Floyd’s Barber Shop. The barber shop and the house next to it were owned by Floyd and Clayta Harwell. Floyd and his brother Lloyd were barbers and Floyd’s wife Clayta was the station manager at the Coppell railroad depot. Originally, a blacksmith shop operated by Ruben Kirby was located here. By 1920, this was the site of Carney's gasoline station and grocery store and was probably closed by 1931. By 1950, it was the site of Floyd Harwell's third barbershop. The large concrete striped post still standing on this southwest corner was originally part of Carney’s gasoline station.
Joe Shirley has been the owner of the Bethel Road Barber Shop since 1997, when he purchased it from the family of the Floyd Harwell after Clayta Harwell passed away.
Floyd’s Barber Shop has no connection to the Floyd’s 99 Barber Shop built on Denton Tap next to Rosa’s Café.
Floyd & Lloyd Harwell in front of their barber shop, and the Bethel Road Barber Shop today.
To find the cache:
This is an easy 4 stage multi. The first 3 stages are virtual, and are just steps away from each other. The cache is located at the 4th and final stage, which is a very short drive away. Please pay attention to the one-way streets in the area.
Gather information at the first 3 virtual stages to determine the coordinates of the cache, which are:
N 32 57.PRS
W 97 00.LMN
Stage 1 is the BIG water tank.
- Count the number of red strips and blue stars in the flag painted on the water tank.
- L = (number of red strips) - (number of blue stars).
- Use L on the WEST coordinates.
- Make note of the first YEAR painted on the water tank....... it might come in handy later!
Stage 2 is the historical marker by the sidewalk...... 'Coppell's First Water Supply'
- On the marker, look for the following decades, and subtract them.
- "The City of Coppell constructed this water tank in the late 19xx to accommodate....."
- "In the decade of the 19yy, a washeteria, located just behind...."
- MN = xx - yy
- Use MN on the WEST coordinates.
Stage 3 is the historical marker located a few steps away (towards the intersection of Bethel and Main/Coppell Rd)..... 'Harwell House and Barbershop'
- What year did Floyd and Clayta Harwell buy the building?
- PQRS = the year
- Use PRS on the NORTH coordinates.
You can check your coordinates for this multi-cache on GeoChecker.com.
Please make sure to use stage 3 for NORTH, and stage 1 & 2 for WEST. :)
For more information on the history of Coppell, and it's residents, these books are available on Amazon:
- 'Coppell, Texas: A History (Brief History)' written by Jean Murph and Lou Duggan
- 'Legendary Locals of Coppell' by Shaun M. Jex.
The Coppell Historical Society meets regularly at the Kirkland House and can be contacted by email at info@coppellhistoricalsociety.org. Their website can be found at www.coppellhistoricalsociety.org.
About the cache: small Altoids tin, camouflaged
Congrats to arlingtontrains7 for FTF!