Some caches are micros, a few can hold a trackable, some are easy finds, and others prove to be quite difficult. All we ask from the Leadership Wayne class is that you enjoy the finds and learn something new about our wonderful county. Upon completion of the entire trail you will be able to collect your GeoCoin at the Wayne County museum after you have recorded your code words on the passport from each of the 50 locations.
European colonists encroached on Native American lands as the colony of North Carolina grew; consequently tensions escalated between the two groups. In 1711, the Tuscarora, who controlled most of the land between the Neuse and Roanoke Rivers, began a war with the colonists. In September of that year, the Tuscarora captured and killed John Lawson, whom they believed was the governor. Lawson’s capture signaled the beginning of a three-day rampage that left at least 120 colonists dead in Bath and the surrounding countryside. Men, women and children were killed and their bodies mutilated throughout the region. Houses, stock, and barns were destroyed.
Colonial leaders failed to formulate a strategy for protection and, instead, sent pleas for assistance to Virginia and South Carolina. In response, South Carolina sent Colonel John Barnwell fortified with white militia and a large army of Native American allies from the Yamassee tribe who were hostile to the Tuscarora. Upon his arrival in January 1712, Barnwell expected reinforcements from North Carolina but received little assistance. He continued his attack into Tuscarora territory and first marched into modern Wayne County into an open village made of a network of farms scattered over several miles. The area was protected by nine forts spaced about a mile apart. Barnwell attacked the largest, Torhunta, and killed over fifty Tuscarora, including women. (Contemporary accounts, including Barnwell's, refer to the fort as Narhantes.) Barnwell’s men suffered few casualties and, once inside the fort, they discovered much of the plunder taken from colonists by the natives. Barnwell destroyed all of the remaining forts and villages in the region before leaving the area.
Passports for code words can be picked up at the following locations:
Wayne County Museum
116 N William St. Goldsboro, NC 27530
Sunday: CLOSED
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday: 11:00 AM-4:00 PM
Wednesday: 11:00 AM-4:00 PM
Thursday: 11:00 AM-4:00 PM
Friday: 11:00 AM-4:00 PM
Saturday: 11:00 AM-4:00 PM