The coordinates are for the Danville Library Rain Gauge maintained by the Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District.
This automated gauge is on the roof of the Library, but the geocache is NOT at these coordinates! You will have to enter the Library and solve for the geocache coordinates below.
The Danville Library is open every day of the week, but the hours are shorter on Sunday.
The first library in the Town of Danville opened in 1913 with 104 books. The Danville Library you visit today was built in 1996 and boasts almost 100,000 items.
The purpose of this multi is, in part, to acquaint you with the permanent display of Freedom Shrine documents inside the Library.
The Freedom Shrine originated with the Freedom Train that toured the nation in 1947 carrying an exhibit of America’s historic founding documents. This Freedom Shrine exhibit was presented to the Danville Library by the Exchange Club of the San Ramon Valley in 2004.
The Shrine documents are mounted on the walls and some pillars in the Adult Room (to the left of the Front Desk). You will see most of them as you look for the following:
Washington’s Farewell Address—First Draft
In anticipation of retiring at the end of his first term as President, Washington wrote to James Madison requesting his thoughts on a farewell message. Washington wrote this note to Madison on May 20 in a certain year. (Circumstances delayed Washington’s farewell for another term.)
A is the last digit in the year this note was written.
The Mayflower Compact
The first written constitution in America, it was signed by 41 colonists, most of the adult male passengers, aboard the Mayflower on November 11 in a certain year.
B is the last digit in the year the Compact was signed.
The Northwest Ordinance
This landmark legislation set the stage for governance of the Northwest Territory in the expanding nation and established procedures for achieving statehood.
Article the Fifth provides that there shall be formed in the said territory a certain minimum and a certain maximum number of states.
C is the maximum number of states provided for in the Ordinance.
The Ordinance was signed by the Congress of the Confederation on July 13 in a certain year.
D is the digit that appears twice in that year.
An American flag flies on a pole in front of the Library.
There is a plaque imbedded in the base of the flag pole dedicated to John Wesley May, the First Mayor of Danville. The year appearing on the plaque is also the year Danville was incorporated.
E is the last digit of the year on the plaque.
Benjamin Franklin’s Epitaph
This famous Epitaph is short and worth reading. This version is a copy that Franklin personally penned for Samuel Morris in 1776.
What I find interesting is that Franklin was born in 1706, died in 1790, but wrote the original Epitaph in 1728.
F is either of the two digits in Franklin’s age when he wrote his original Epitaph.
You will find the geocache outside the Library at:
N 37 49. A B C W 121 59. D E F
Checksum A+B+C+D+E+F = 18