Before being discovered by European settlers, Hillsborough was home to several Native-American groups including the Eno, Occoneechi, and Siouan tribes. White settlers founded Hillsborough in 1754. Almost immediately Hillsborough, became a place of political and social importance. There were many pre-Revolutionary War tensions during the 1700s and the town was even used as a base for British General Charles Cornwallis in February of 1781. During the American Civil War, Confederate general Joseph E. Johnston camped just outside of Hillsborough. In the 20th century, Hillsborough became a place well-known for its stock car racing, and was even home to Occoneechee Speedway, one of NASCAR's first two tracks. The remains of Occoneechee Speedway can still be visited today.
You are going to trace the footsteps of one of Hillsborough's famous inhabitants, answering a couple of questions in order to log this cache.
For starters, head to the listed co-ordinates. You can park pretty close by, either at the bank across the road or just behind that in a public parking lot. You will be standing next to a plaque in front of his house, the only known home of his to survive. He lived there from 1782-90 and was temporarily buried in the East Lawn. Other prominent residents include William Alexander Graham, a Governor of North Carolina who you will also encounter later. This house is still a private residence.
Question 1: What is the year on the last line of the plaque?
Activity: Please take a photo of you and your GPS or just your GPS / phone with the house in the background.
Now walk on over to N36 04.661 W79 06.020, it's very close. Daylight hours only please. Find the grave with the name in common with the House you were just at.
Question 2: What was this person famous for doing? What was his name?
Question 3: What is the year on the last line of the metal plaque?
Question 4: How many USA flags are there today?
Thanks! Send your answers to me via email and upload your photograph. No need to wait for a reply; log as found.
On the way out, look for William Alexander Graham, U.S. Senator from North Carolina from 1840 to 1843. In 1845, he served as the Governor of North Carolina until 1849. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Vice President of the United States in 1852.
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.