Charles Evans Cemetery Tour Mystery Cache

After having so much fun exploring Forest Hills Cemetery, I decided to tackle this cemetery next. Charles Evans Cemetery is the main cemetery for the city of Reading. It is much bigger than Forest Hills and took much longer to explore.

What I found is that Charles Evans did not have as many artistic non-burial sculptures as Forest Hills, but instead many of the regular graves are elegantly decorated. If you are a fan of mausoleums, you will enjoy exploring as there are numerous ones scattered throughout.

All of the stops on the tour are things that I found to be the most interesting. That being said, this cemetery is massive and I am sure I missed some things. While you are here, pay your respects to those who have left us and as always absolutely no night caching.

There are 16 waypoints you will be visiting. The coordinates for the waypoints are listed in the waypoint section. At each stop, you will collect information which will be used to calculate the coordinates to the final cache-a fake rock. Enjoy the tour.

Letter A: Grand Entrance

This is the main entrance to the cemetery and grand is a fitting word. This entrance was completed in 1852 and reflects the Gothic Revival style which was popular at the time. After driving through, get out and walk back to explore the inside of the entrance.

While there, you will notice two smaller gates-one on the left and one the right (NOT the larger gate you drove through). The gates have spade shapes adorning the top of the spikes.

A=The total number of spade shapes on the two smaller gates. It will be a two digit number. Remember to NOT include the bigger gate you drove through.

Letter B: Founder Of The Cemetery

The first thing to greet you upon entering the cemetery is a statue of its founder. There are inscriptions around the base of the statue. Find the one that lists the Presidents of the cemetery.

B=The number of letters in the first name of the first President.

Letter C: The Chapel

A beautiful chapel lies tucked away in its own section in the cemetery. In front of the chapel is an ornately decorated metal planter.

C=The number of human figures depicted on the planter. It will be a two digit number. (This was too good to pass up-my chance at redemption!!)

Letter D: Chapel Lawn Garden

Take a walk through the Chapel memorial wall then along a hidden shaded path to find a marker on the ground placed in memory of family members.

D=Third digit in the year of death of Brian K. Tag

Letter E:Heavenly Headstones

These were the most impressive headstones that I came across in the cemetery. Go to the one that depicts Jesus.

E=Second digit in the day of death of Joseph

Letter F: Walk Like An Egyptian

It appears that this man was a big fan of Egypt. Go to the front of the structure and below the door there is a two word inscription on the stone.

F=The total number of letters in the two words

Letter G: Mr. Muhlenberg Goes To Washington

While walking through this section, this headstone immediately caught my eye. Not only is it impressive, but something I have not seen before. I became even more interested when I read about the man and his profession on the epitaph.

G=This man was respected for two things: his ______ and talents. G is the number of letters in the missing word.

Letter H: Founder's Grave

I also happened upon the grave of the cemetery founder while exploring this section. He has an impressive epitaph.

H=He was an exemplary ________. H is the number of letters in the missing word.

Letter I: Witch's Hat

As soon as I saw this, I immediately thought of the pavilion on the top of Neversink Mountain. A nice place to take a break and relax in the shade. When you enter, there is a stone on the ground that says when it was donated.

I=Last digit in the year it was donated.

Letter J: Our Fallen Comrades

An impressive GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) Civil War monument. On the monument, there is an inscription that talks about the honored dead.

J=What have the honored dead heard? J=Number of letters in the word.

Letter K: Sir Matthews

I randomly stumbled upon this headstone and I am glad I did because after doing some research I found it to be fascinating. This man founded a secret society right here in Reading, PA that was connected to the Freemasons. His headstones depicts different objects.

Which object is NOT depicted?

Skull and crossbones (K=1)

Eye (K=2)

Saddle (K=3)

Flag with shield (K=4)

Letter L: Hillside View

Here is a two story memorial wall. From the upper level balcony, there are spectacular views of the city and Mt. Penn.

Find the block for Kenneth Mock. What branch of the military did he serve in?

Navy (L=1)

Air Force (L=0)

Army (L=3)

Marines (L=2)

Letter M: But No Cigar

While driving through the back section, this marker immediately jumped out. The marker has a word on it that is the same as the last name of the people buried here.

M=The number of headstones of these people (the headstones are between the marker and the road).

Letter N: Hallelujah, Hallelujah

This man has a large cross as his headstone. There is an inscription on the cross

N=The number of words in the inscription.

Letter O: Hiding In The Garden

Take a stroll through this beautiful garden to a headstone that is hidden in the bushes. The headstone has a verse of a poem on it.

O=Number of letters in the first word of the verse

Letter P: Memorial Rectangle

Here is a rectangular memorial wall. When I was here, there were many flags in the ground so there must be many veterans. Find the block for Allison and Doris Fisher.

There are two objects inscribed on the block. One is the Freemason symbol and the other is:

Bird (P=3)

Cross (P=4)

Flower (P=5)

Rock (P=6)

Checksums:

North: N+G+B+D+C+J+M+E=35

West: A+P+I+L+F+K+H+O=41