T.C.D.N.Y. - A Man's Secret's, Forge A Nation 🇺🇸 Virtual Cache

***PLEASE READ EVERYTHING, ESPECIALLY DIRECTIONS WHEN PROVIDED***

I create my caches from recycled/re-purposed materials, with as little out of pocket expense possible. Enjoy this and all future caches from The Caching Dead NY. Please respect the surrounding property and my cache!! Please CITO when possible.

*Please submit your answers to: SamuelCulperSr@yahoo.com

My initial intent was to place this virtual Beacon over the Montauk Lighthouse. Of course there would be several questions that would need to be answered and a photograph of yourself at a particular location around the lighthouse. However, due to the popularity of that location and the amount of information available online I decided not to do it there.

This is a field puzzle Virtual. All information will be found on sight. None of the info needed can be found through online searches

So why have I brought you here? To an area toward the very northen edge of long Island. Well this area has a VERY significant past that began the development of our nation. So what better day could I choose then the day our country declaired it's Independence 242 years ago, on the 4th of July, 1776 to bare birth to this Virtual.

The coordinates bring you to the Setauket Presbyterian Church and Burial Ground. Behind the church, the grounds contain the remains of Mr. Abraham Woodhull. Many of you may not know of this man. However, eveyone in this country owes this man a debt of gratitude. You see Mr. Woodhull was one of if not thee main members of then General George Washington's, Spy Culper Ring which helped to defeat the British in the Revolutionary War.

Some background on Mr.Woodhull:

Abraham Woodhull was born October 7, 1750 in Setauket, New York. He was the son of Judge Richard Woodhull and Mary (Smith) Woodhull. He was a descendant of Richard Lawrence Woodhull, a wealthy settler of Setauket. He was also related to New York militia Brigadier General Nathaniel Woodhull. Abraham worked hard day in and out on the family farm as a young man.

Woodhull served as a lieutenant in the Suffolk County, New York militia in the fall of 1775 but resigned after a few months. He was motivated by the murder of his cousin Brigadier General Nathaniel Woodhull of the New York militia, who was wounded by sword and bayonet cuts after being captured on August 29, 1776. According to some reports, General Woodhull was deprived of medical care and food and suffered an agonizing death on September 20, 1776. Abraham Woodhull was inflamed against the British by this event. He did not immediately take up arms or begin spying, however; he was more placid than some of his friends who joined the Continental Army at the outset of the war. He was the only surviving son of aging parents, and he stayed on the family farm to attend to his family and their property.

A Spy was born:

Continental Army Major Benjamin Tallmadge was Woodhull's neighbor in Setauket. He approached Woodhull about gathering intelligence for the Patriot cause in the American Revolutionary War. At one point, Woodhull had been caught smuggling contraband across Long Island Sound, but Tallmadge spoke with Connecticut Governor Jonathan Trumbull and got him released. Tallmadge then set up a spy network in New York with Woodhull as the lead agent. Woodhull began spying, sending his first "Samuel Culper" letter after swearing an oath of loyalty to the Crown as cover. His plan was to travel to Manhattan, ostensibly to visit his married sister, Mary Underhill, and her husband, Amos, at their boarding house. While in Manhattan, he would collect information from various sources, including British officers staying at the Underhill boarding house, and then return to Setauket where he could pass the information to Continental Army lieutenant and whaleboat operator Caleb Brewster to take across Long Island Sound to Tallmadge. Tallmadge would then send the information to General George Washington.

Please educate yourself further:

For more information you may do a simple online search for Abraham Woodhull, George Washington and the Spy Culper Ring.

You may also be interested in watching AMC's Turn: Washington's Spies, A 40 episode series.

Check out the Culper Spy Day Facebook page here!!!

*The Cache:

To get credit for this Virtual as a find you must go to the above coordinates and locate Abraham Woodhulls final resting place. A few questions will need to be answered and a Photo as proof that you were indeed at this location.

*The Questions:

1) On top of Woodhulls grave there are 3 plaques. The one in the bottom right-hand corner has has two different years scribed on it. What year is on the right side?

2) An easy question. What is the FIRST name of the person buried to the left of Woodhull's grave?

3) Behind Woodhull's grave and to the right there is a large boulder protruding from the ground. Immediately to the left of the boulder is a grave. The person's initials are C.F. What year did she die?

4) Approximately half way to the other side of the cemetery there is an obelisk with the name Stoney on it. What is the grave marker made of? (Example: If it is made of water, then water is the answer. You do not need to answer fresh or salt water.) Hint: Look close. Touch it! Tap it!

5) There is a tall obelisk which is a light brown color. At the very top it appears to have a cloth with tassels etched into the stone. The name on it is Wells. To the left there is a large grave marker that is hidden behind a bush. The front of the marker is by the bush. (Update 4/21/20: Sadly, the bushes have been removed.The mentioned headstone is in a North/Eastern direction. When facing the obelisk it is approximately in a 11 o'clock direction) What is the surname on that marker? (FYI: The answer is NOT Jayne. Look for a kind of cat!)

*The Photo:

Submit a photo IN YOUR LOG of YOU in front of the church. If you are with a group, please submit a DIFFRENT photo. One single photo of a group does not fill the requirement. You may take several photos of your group with each member using a DIFFRENT one. **Disclaimer: Geocaching HQ says I can NOT require you to have your face show in the photo.** However, I would prefer that you do of your own free will.

Please submit your answers to: SamuelCulperSr@yahoo.com

PLEASE DO NOT SHARE ANY OF THE INFORMATION YOU HAVE WORKED TO COLLECT OR THE ANSWERS. PLEASE DO NOT ADD ANY OF THIS INFO TO YOUR LOGS AS WELL. THANK YOU.

Example: 2018Cache2018CacheCache

You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.

Please submit your answers to: SamuelCulperSr@yahoo.com

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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.