Mount Auburn is a frequent destination for those interested in the well-known historical figures who are buried there and the wildlife which can be seen in this urban setting.
Plan on a walking time of at least 70-80 minutes, more if you meander (in the spirit of the cache title, meandering is encouraged, the cemetery is a place where many serendipitous discoveries can be made).
Check the cemetery's web site for the hours that the gates are open (this varies during the year). There is a rest room at the Visitor Center and a path map can be purchased there for a dollar. You can drive through the Cemetery and may park on any roads without a green line. Make sure your car is not on the grass.
Please remember that the grave markers and monuments are final resting places and show proper respect to them and to the families who visit (Mount Auburn is an active cemetery).
The Cache
The cache is a field puzzle, coordinates for 8 waypoints are listed below - each will take you to a marker or monument which is unusual in some way. At each waypoint, you will need to find a digit on the marker (or nearby) as described under the "Clue" below. These 8 digits can then be used to determine the coordinates of the final waypoint.
While the waypoints can be visited in any order, the order shown below will probably provide the most expeditious path (after visiting Marker 2, I recommend a return to "Central Ave").
| Marker |
Waypoint Coords |
Clue |
| Marker 1 |
N 42° 22.497 W 71° 08.628 |
F = 4th digit of year that Manuel V. (son) died |
| Marker 2 |
N 42° 22.367 W 71° 08.407 |
B = 2nd digit of year that Benjamin died |
| Marker 3 |
N 42° 22.412 W 71° 08.642 |
A = 3rd digit of year that W. French died |
| Marker 4 |
N 42° 22.393 W 71° 08.725 |
G = 3rd digit of year shown near sculptor’s name |
| Marker 5 |
N 42° 22.313 W 71° 08.685 |
C = 3rd digit of year that William died |
| Marker 6 |
N 42° 22.299 W 71° 08.678 |
H = 4th digit of year that Marguerite was born |
| Marker 7 |
N 42° 22.227 W 71° 08.545 |
E = 2nd digit of year that Joseph was born |
| Marker 8 |
N 42° 22.165 W 71° 08.552 |
D = 3rd digit of year that Jules died |
| Final |
??? |
To determine the coords for the final marker, substitute A through H above into this: N 42° 2A.BCD W 71° 0E.FGH
If you want to check your final coords in the field, use these checksums: A+B+C+D = 15, E+F+G+H = 28
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Logging Requirements: There are four trees ringing the area of the final marker, two of the trees have small signs about eye level identifying the type of tree. Message or e-mail the cache owner with the full name of the type of tree for either one. Do not post answers in your log and please do not post photos of any of the markers/monuments.
Thanks to Ms. GeoRatz for naming the cache and congrats to ecstaticbroccoli for FTF.
Note that there are two other caches in the cemetery, Angelfield (a virtual) and Who am I – Two (a multi that begins with a virtual stage in the cemetery).
Mount Auburn Cemetery Background
Bostonians founded Mount Auburn in 1831 for both practical and aesthetic reasons: to solve an urban land use problem created by an increasing number of burials in the city and to create a tranquil and beautiful place where families could commemorate their loved ones with tasteful works of art in an inviting and natural setting.
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The public flocked to the new cemetery and Mount Auburn quickly became the model for the American "rural" cemetery movement. In the 1840s, Mount Auburn was considered one of the most popular tourist destinations in the nation, along with Niagara Falls and Mount Vernon. Mount Auburn's collection of over 5,500 trees includes nearly 700 species and varieties. Thousands of well-kept shrubs and plants weave through the cemetery's hills, ponds, woodlands, and clearings. With its lushly-planted 175 acres, Mount Auburn provides the perfect habitat for many species of urban wildlife. Spotted Salamanders, frogs, turtles, and coyotes are among the species that make the Cemetery their year-round home.
Recognized as one of the most significant designed landscapes in the country, Mount Auburn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2003.
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
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.