Posted coordinates will bring to a spot overlooking a building that was built in 1865 and served as the Freedmen's Bureau for the area around Kingsville.
The Freedmen’s Bureau, formally known as the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, was established in 1865 by Congress to help millions of former black slaves and poor whites in the South in the aftermath of the Civil War. The Freedmen’s Bureau provided food, housing and medical aid, established schools and offered legal assistance. It also attempted to settle former slaves on land confiscated or abandoned during the war.. The Bureau was organized into districts covering the 11 former rebel states, and the border states of West Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. During its years of operation, the Freedmen's Bureau fed millions of people, built hospitals and provided medical aid, negotiated labor contracts for ex-slaves and settled labor disputes. It also helped former slaves legalize marriages and locate lost relatives, and assisted black veterans. The Bureau was instrumental in helping found many universities, including Howard University in Washington D.C., and Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. In the summer of 1872, Congress, responding in part to pressure from white Southerners, dismantled the Freedmen's Bureau, which had always been underfunded and understaffed. By 1877, county maps labeled this building as Grange Hall
The building you see bears little resemblance to its original construction. All that is visible of the original building is the stone foundation. The construction is what is known as a vernacular building, and is representative of many vernacular stone structures erected throughout Baltimore County in the mid- to late 19th century Vernacular buildings tend to have little to no stylistic detailing and are typically constructed by local builders with locally available tools and materials. Vernacular architecture accounts for the majority of the built environment and reflects the traditions of society, rather than the whims of the architect. Throughout Baltimore County, there are a number of vernacular stone houses from this period. Stone was readily available in the county, with both marble and granite quarries located throughout the region.
The McComas Institute, a few miles away on Singer Road, was built by the Freedmen's Bureau in 1867.
The Cache: The cache is hidden in a common place. Parking is available about 200 yards away at the small shopping center. Please do not stop on Belair Road to find this cache.
Congratulations to Snowsox for FTF.