The First Shots of the Revolution (Gaspee Affair) Virtual Cache
Hidden : 8/24/2017
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: virtual (virtual)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works
Looking for a different adventure?

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:


Welcome to PV011, St John's Cemetery. Parking and cemetery access is located on Benefit Street. There is a brick walkway that heads down to the cemetery (Cemetery Access waypoint) - please do not use the parking area to the north of the cemetery.

This cathedral was founded in 1722 as St King's Church, but was later renamed St John's in 1794 in a display to show independence from Britain. The cemetery was established in 1739 and there are approximately 400 burials here. This cemetery later became a favorite visiting place for the authors HP Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe. The stones of the Blodgett children which Lovecraft mentioned in his notes can still be seen here, and Poe's one-time fiancee, Sarah Helen Whitman lived beside this cemetery - her family home is located at the northwest corner of Benefit and Church Streets.


Your visit will bring you to the final resting place of a notable character associated with one of the major events leading up to the American Revolution, Col. Ephraim Bowen. Along with a handful of others, he was a member of the party involved in the burning of the HMS Gaspee on June 9, 1772. Bowen's retelling of the Gaspee Affair in 1839 at the age of 86 are the most important and detailed account of the event.

The HMS Gaspee was a British schooner, commanded by Lieutenant William Dudingston, that patrolled Naragansett Bay against the smuggling of goods subject to taxation. On June 9, 1772, the Gaspee pursued Captain Benjamin Lindsey and his packet boat named the Hannah. The Hannah refused to stop even after warning shots were fired and a chase ensued. Captain Lindsey, being familiar with the bay, piloted the Hannah through the shallow Namquid Point (now Gaspee Point) where the Gaspee ran aground.

Lindsey continued to Providence, where he informed John Brown of the events, who then organized a group of volunteers to destroy the ship that had been so troublesome for the local community. It was soon after when Bowen heard the open invitation to participate, so (according to his account) "I took my father's gun and my powderhorn and bullets and went to Mr. Sabin's [Sabin Tavern reference point] and found the southeast room full of people where I loaded my gun, and all remained there till about 10 o'clock, some casting bullets in the kitchen, and others making arrangements for departure, when orders were given to cross the street to Fenner's wharf and embark."

The party proceeded in eight longboats with padded oars, and as they approached the Gaspee they were hailed by Dudingston. "I took a seat on the main thwart, near the starboard rowlock, with my gun by my right side facing forward. As soon as Dudingston began to hail, Joseph Bucklin, who was standing on the main thwart by my right side, said to me, 'Eph, reach me your gun, I can kill that fellow.' I reached it to him accordingly, when during Captain Whipple's replying, Bucklin fired and Dudingston fell and Bucklin exclaimed, 'I have killed the rascal.'"

The shots fired by Bucklin (later lost at sea - his memorial is located in North Burial Ground at the Joseph Bucklin V reference point), were the first shots fired against the British military, and Ephraim Bowen provided the gun that fired them. Dudingston was hit twice, one shot in the arm and another in the groin, but would survive the ordeal. This escalated tension between the colonists and the British crown, and was an important factor leading to the Revolutionary War.

To receive credit for logging this virtual geocache, you will need to post a photo of yourself or a personal effect (such as your GPSr) in front of the headstone for Ephraim Bowen.

Logs without original photos posted are subject to deletion. Any visits to this cemetery which violate the visitation guidelines below are subject to deletion. There are no additional logging requirements, but feel free to post additional items of interest.

Permission to access this privately-owned cemetery was granted by the Episcopal Diocese of RI. The visitation guidelines imposed by the property owner and the RI State Cemetery Commission are:
- No night caching. Visitation from sunrise to sunset only.
- No large groups. For groups exceeding 12 people, please provide 48 hours prior notice so the property owner can be informed.
- These are sacred grounds. There will be no disturbing of the stones or grounds, including gravestone rubbings, vandalism, or any other disrespectful actions.



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.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

[Post the required photo at Ephraim Bowen's stone]

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


Advertising with Us

Inventory

There are no Trackables in this cache.

View past Trackables

What are Trackable Items?

Bookmark Lists

View all 16 bookmark lists...