The geocache container is not at the posted coordinates. They are a starting point for your search. You will be taking a tour of Stroudsburg Cemetery and learning some local history and some interesting facts about various tombstones. Stroudsburg Cemetery is considered a “cemetery”, as cemeteries are not necessarily connected to a church. A “graveyard” is always connected to a church. Stroudsburg Cemetery is located on Dreher Avenue and is surrounded by a black iron spiked fence. There is a longstanding superstition that iron repels spirits. Cemetery gates and fences were usually topped with spikes to discourage restless and lost souls from leaving the burial grounds. They are painted black due to ancient beliefs that when people died, the beginning of their journey took place in darkness and they would be protected from evil spirits during the first part of the soul’s journey. There is so much information that you can research about the different types of monuments, the designs and symbols on them, etc. While you are walking around the cemetery on your tour, look at all of the different tombstone designs.
Remember, this is a daytime only geocache. Do not attempt to find this cache at night. All of the stages are virtual, there is only one physical container at the final location. The physical cache container is not located near or on any graves. Dogs are not allowed in the cemetery. There are several signs stating this. This cemetery is usually fairly empty and doesn't have a lot of people visiting it. You might only see one or two people walking for exercise or visiting some graves. You can drive around to some of the different locations, but I would recommend parking at one spot and walking, especially if it is a nice day. You can probably complete the tour and find the geocache in an hour or less.
Enter the cemetery and proceed to the posted coordinates for Stage 1.
Stage 1 - Norton Mausoleum - If you've ever driven past this area before, you've probably seen this large stone structure standing formidably atop a hill in the cemetery.
This private mausoleum is the final resting place of Colonel Emery Ebenezer Norton and his wife, Jeanette Norton. According to history records, E.E. Norton was born in Alleghany County, New York in 1816. It was said that when he was 16 years old, Norton left home with only 17 cents in his pocket. He became a school teacher, then worked in a law office and eventually became a lawyer. He was admitted to the Supreme Court of New York State and later started his own law firm.
In 1861, the Civil War began and Norton enlisted and was a member of Clay's Battalion and they protected President Abraham Lincoln, the White House, and Washington DC from Confederate forces until help arrived.
The Norton Family came to Stroudsburg in 1867 and purchased a 183 acre farm on Dreher Avenue, Stroudsburg. After living in the house for a year, the Norton’s built an addition onto the house that resembled a three-story castle and tower. People referred to the house as "Norton Castle". It was reported that Norton Castle had 29 rooms, and there was also a carriage house, barn, spring house, and root cellar on the property.
Norton's wife, Jeanette, died in 1887. Her obituary stated that her remains were placed in an expensive air-tight, gold-colored steel casket. Ebenezer Emery Norton lived for several more years and died in 1901. They were both interred in this mausoleum. It is believed that there is a life-sized copper bust of Col. Norton inside the mausoleum. There were rumors that the Norton’s were buried with valuable jewels. At one time, the doors to the mausoleum were left open and only an iron bar gate separated onlookers from the inside of the mausoleum. In 1948, the tombs were vandalized. The stone doors are now kept closed and locked to prevent vandals from entering the mausoleum.
More information can be found on E.E. Norton on the Monroe County Historical Association Website.
If you stand in front of the mausoleum door, there are two gravestones to the right (close to the building). The first one is the tombstone of Mabel, and her husband William, is buried at the next tombstone. William was in the Medical Corp during World War I. What was his rank? Choose the correct answer from the choices below.
A. Private - Go to N40 58.888 W075 12.141
B. 1st Lieutenant - Go to N40 58.953 W075 12.161
C. Captain - Go to N40 58.970 W075 12.059
D. Colonel - Go to N40 58.810 W075 12.109
Stage 2 - This next tombstone is that of a man who was known by many in Stroudsburg and was extremely active in the community. Dominick Lockwood was born in 1926 in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. He earned a degree in Economics from Penn State University, then a Masters Degree in History from Lehigh University, and then he went on to earn his Juris Doctorate Law Degree. He had a law office in Stroudsburg and was also a real estate developer. He was a multi-millionaire who wanted to conserve and revitalize many landmark buildings and homes in Stroudsburg. He was always seen wearing his trademark bow tie, even when deer hunting in the woods. He died on June 6, 2002, just 3 days before his 76th birthday, as a result of a tragic accident on Main Street in Stroudsburg. He was crossing the street at around 9 AM on June 6th and was struck by a pick-up truck driven by a man who was visiting Stroudsburg to testify as a traffic accident reconstructionist in a civil trial regarding a car accident. Ironically, his father was also killed walking across a Pennsylvania street in 1971 at the age of 72. His tombstone is very visible and is a large black granite stone with a 3-D depiction of him doing the yoga pose called “The Warrior”, which he was frequently seen doing while walking along Main Street. When you arrive at his tombstone, you will also see that there are pictures of him and his children engraved on both ends of the tombstone. To get the next set of coordinates, go to the backside of the tombstone. There is another grave here, marked by a flat bronze marker. What is the name on the marker? Choose your answer from the choices below.
A. John R. Miller - Go to N40 58.888 W075 12.141
B. William M. Collier - Go to N40 58.808 W075 12.113
C. Salvatore Papavero - Go to N40 58.874 W075 12.207
D. Norman A. Swink - Go to N40 58.971 W075 12.059
Stage 3 - These coordinates will take you to a tall whitish colored obelisk. These are those tall pointy monuments that have a wider base and then get narrower at the top. They are most often seen in historic cemeteries. The obelisk is thought to represented a connection between heaven and earth, as well as strength, power, and fatherhood. There are several types and styles of obelisks. There are regular obelisks, truncated obelisks, truncated obelisks with orbs, and vaulted obelisks. This particular obelisk is the monument for Peter and his wife. Peter died in 1874 at the age of 52. One of the symbols higher up on the obelisk is a Masonic symbol. It is a square and compass with the letter “G” in the center. It is believed that the “G” stands for Gnosis (Greek word meaning knowledge), Generations (as in passing knowledge down through the ages), and God (who is the grand architect of the universe). Notice also that at the base of the obelisk is a green marker with the letters “GAR”. GAR stands for Grand Army of the Republic. The GAR was a fraternal organization of veterans who served in the Civil War and it became one of the first organized advocacy groups in American politics. What is the last name of Peter? Choose the correct answer from the choices below.
A. Bossard - Go to N40 58.917 W075 12.225
B. Empey - Go to N40 58.810 W075 12.109
C. Kunkel - Go to N40 58.867 W075 12.218
D. Williams - Go to N40 58.804 W075 12.116
Stage 4 - This set of coordinates will take you to a family plot with footstones. These family plots usually have a large monument with just the family’s last name. Usually the head of the family (husband and wife) are buried at the monument and others in the family are buried alongside, with all of the graves being marked with footstones. A headstone is placed at the head of the deceased person and the footstone is placed at their feet. Footstones can have the person’s name on them or just a title such as mother or father or brother, etc. At this location, you will see a large monument with the Drake family name on it. Levi and Catharine Drake are buried here at this uniquely designed monument. Note the columns carved into each corner of the tombstone. A full column like on this monument symbolizes a noble life, while a broken column means early death. Note the footstones on this area of the family plot. There are 5 footstones here. What is the name on the middle footstone? Choose the correct answer from the choices below.
A. Alice M. Drake - Go to N40 58.888 W075 12.142
B. Father - Go to N40 58.935 W075 12.210
C. Jane C. Drake - Go to N40 58.812 W075 11.930
D. Mother - Go to N40 58.843 W075 12.162
Stage 5 - These coordinates will take you to a ledger stone. Ledger stones are rectangular burial slabs that lay flat on the ground and cover the cemetery grave completely. The word “ledger” comes from the German word “legen”, which means “to lie”. A full ledger is generally 3 feet wide by 7 feet long. This grave is a bit unusual, as it has two different family names on it and I’m not sure of the relationship between the two family names. Paul Joseph T. has no wife listed, but his children are also buried here and sadly they lived for only 12 days. Anyway, when standing near this Ledger stone, turn around in a complete circle and look at all the tombstones. It is in this general area that the directions the tombstones are facing seem to change. Notice that some of the tombstones are orientated east to west, while others in this section are oriented north to south. In history, generally most headstones face east. This tradition is linked to the Christian belief that people will be facing the correct direction when the sun comes up on Judgment Day. To find the next set of coordinates, look at the ledger stone. What were the names of Paul Joseph’s two children who are buried here? Choose the correct answer from the choices below.
A. Anna and John - Go to N40 58.810 W075 12.109
B. Marie and Marth - Go to N40 58.892 W075 12.195
C. Frederick and Anna - Go to N40 58.804 W075 12.116
D. William and Netti - Go to N40 58.917 W075 12.211
Stage 6 - These coordinates will take you to the grave of John Staples, a Revolutionary War hero. John Morris Staples was born in London England in 1754. He came to America on one of the ships that the tea was thrown from during the Boston Tea Party. He was a recent immigrant, but soon became a sergeant in the Continental Army. Afterward, he was a farmer in Northampton County, PA and then moved to Smithfield, which became part of Monroe County where he and his wife, Elizabeth Teeple lived the rest of their lives. John and Elizabeth had 14 children. He died in 1843 at the age of 88. John Staples original tombstone is unreadable, but a plaque was placed next to his grave as a gift from his great grandson. The inscription on the plaque was taken from a transcription of the original gravestone. Stand facing the John Staples grave and look to your right. A short distance (about 30 feet) away you will see 7 raised ledger stones. (There is a group of 2, then 5 more). I talk about Ledger stones at another stage of this geocache, but these 7 are not at ground level, they stick up several inches above ground level. Look closely at all 7 of these raised ledger stones. 5 of them have the inscriptions facing in one direction, and 2 of them have the inscriptions facing in the opposite direction. What are the names on the 2 ledger stones that are facing the opposite direction? Choose the correct answer from the choices below.
A. William D. Kirkpatrick and Mary A. Staples Kirkpatrick - Go to N40 58.878 W075 12.208
B. Richard S. Staples and Mary A. Staples - Go to N40 58.971 W075 12.059
C. Althea Elizabeth Staples and Charles B. Staples - Go to N40 58.888 W075 12.141
D. Richard S. Staples and Daisy Billingsley - Go to N40 58.954 W075 12.161
Stage 7 - This next stage takes you to a monument with an urn on top. The urn is an ancient symbol of death and mortality. However, this isn’t a plain urn, it is a shrouded urn. Greek style urns were used to symbolically represent that the mortal body is reduced to its barest elements as the soul ascends to Heaven. The shroud over the urn represents the earthly garments being shed as the deceased moves from this world to the next. Others believe the shroud represents sorrow. As you walk around the cemetery, you will see several tombstones with urns, some shrouded and some not. This particular monument with the shrouded urn is at the center of a family plot. This particular family plot is surrounded by a low concrete wall. Thomas and Martha’s names are on this tombstone. Thomas was born in England in 1840 and worked in a woolen mill at an early age. He came to the United States at the age of 19. He and a business partner reopened the Stroudsburg Mills in 1873 and ten years later he became the sole owner of the business. Thomas and his mill set an unusual work record in 1898. He set the record for the shortest time to make a suit of clothes from an unsheared sheep. The previous record of 8 hours was beat and the new record was just 6 hours and 4 minutes. Thomas wore the suit to a party that day. Thomas died of heart failure in July 1900 while on a train to New York. What is the name on the concrete entrance to this family plot? Choose the correct answer from the choices below.
A. Fetherman - Go to N40 58.952 W075 12.162
B. Keiser - Go to N40 58.843 W075 12.161
C. Kitson - Go to N40 58.884 W075 12.185
D. Wallace - Go to N40 58.971 W075 12.059
Stage 8 - The coordinates for this stage will lead you to another type of obelisk. This monument is a truncated obelisk with an orb. The orb is a large sphere at the top of the tombstone. It is believed that the orb represents the celestial body and the reward of resurrection. This particular monument is also the main stone on a family gravesite. Note the three separate names on the main monument. One side is Schoonover and another side is Wyckoff, and another side is Bowden. This family plot also contains footstones of all the family members buried here. When facing the empty fourth side of the main monument, you will see several footstones. What is the name on the footstone with the dates of 1821-1862? Choose the correct answer from the choices below.
A. Bernard S. Schoonover - Go to N40 58.880 W075 12.119
B. Edgar K. Wyckoff - Go to N40 58.812 W075 11.930
C. Granville R. Flagler - Go to N40 58.809 W075 12.109
D. Lorraine Wyckoff - Go to N40 58.935 W075 12.210
Stage 9 - When you arrive at these coordinates, you will see 4 large whitish colored tombstones lined up side by side in a row. Frederick Kiser and his wife Sarah are buried here, as well as Mary (their daughter), and Sally A. Edinger. The outside shape of the four tombstones are all identical, but the inscriptions and symbols at the top are different. To the right of the tombstone of Sally A. Edinger is another small tombstone. Whose tombstone is it? Choose the correct answer from the choices below.
A. Alice Edinger Morrow - Go to N40 58.969 W075 12.060
B. Beulah Edinger - Go to N40 58.925 W075 12.220
C. Eva Edinger - Go to N40 58.849 W075 12.101
D. Peter B. Edinger - Go to N40 58.888 W075 12.251
Stage 10 - These coordinates will take you to the grave of John Summerfield Staples (1845-1888). This tombstone is a formal US military style white marble gravestone. You may think that it looks in excellent condition for its age, but this is actually a replacement tombstone. The original tombstone is now located at the Stroud Mansion. The writing was too worn to be read, so a replacement gravestone was erected on the burial site. John Summerfield Staples served as a representative recruit for Abraham Lincoln. During the Civil War, it became customary for citizens who were not able to serve in the draft to pay for substitutes in their place. The 19-year old Staples accepted Lincoln’s offer in 1864 and was a Private in Company H. He served for 1 year before he left the service in September 1865. He returned to Stroudsburg where he worked as a wheelwright before moving to Waterloo, New York where he died at the age of 42. To get coordinates to the next stage, stand facing the grave of John Summerfield Staples, Look to your left for a large obelisk where John and his wife Julia are buried. What is John and Julia’s last name? Choose the correct answer from the choices below.
A. Cress - Go to N40 58.805 W075 12.111
B. Edinger - Go to N40 58.798 W075 12.155
C. Fetherman - Go to N40 58.864 W075 12.181
D. Singmaster - Go to N40 58.917 W075 12.211
Stage 11- I brought you to this stage to look at this object. Although not a tombstone, this large natural object is quite different. Imagine it being in a horror movie… on a dark and foggy night it could come alive and walk around terrorizing people. Use your imagination. Now, look at the nearest tombstone to this object. The names on the tombstone are Mary Lou and Gerald. What sport do you think they loved? Choose your answer from the choices below.
A. Baseball -Go to N40 58.811 W075 12.025
B. Football - Go to N40 58.815 W075 11.929
C. Mountain Climbing - Go to N40 58.805 W075 12.108
D. Tennis - Go to N40 58.933 W075 12.188
Stage 12 - The coordinates will bring you to four unusual shaped markers. They are called Bolster Markers. It is believed that this type of monument got its name because of its cylindrical shape that is similar to a bolster pillow. At this location, there is a large monument with the last name of the family buried here. The bolster style monuments are used as footstones. Frederick, Anna, Anna Marie, and Frederick J. are the four names on these bolster footstones. On the other side of the larger family marker is a single bolster stone all by itself. What is the name on the bolster stone? Choose your answer from the choices below.
A. Anna L. Eckert - Go to N40 58.932 W075 12.177
B. Alex F. Eckert - Go to N40 58.864 W075 12.181
C. Anna M. Lorms - Go to N40 58.849 W075 11.997
D. Anna C. Meyers - Go to N40 58.840 W075 12.156
Stage 13 - The coordinates will take you to a section of the cemetery that has more recent burials in it. Many of these are granite monuments. There are some that are very elaborate and others that are just plain rectangular monuments. This particular monument is in the shape of a musical instrument. To get the coordinates for the next stage, look at the small plaque on the back of this monument. Where was it made? Choose the correct answer from the choices below.
A. Carbondale, PA - Go to N40 58.806 W075 12.065
B. Englewood, NJ - Go to N40 58.895 W075 12.229
C. Montclair, NJ - Go to N40 58.876 W075 12.102
D. Northampton, PA - Go to N40 58.808 W075 12.112
Stage 14 - These coordinates will take you to the grave of Ernest E. Marsh, who was a private in the 95th Aero Squadron A.E.F. (American Expeditionary Forces). He died in France while serving his country during World War I. He was the first person from Monroe County to lose his life in the war. He died in 1917 at the age of 20. When you find his tombstone, you will notice that the plaque on the concrete monument has turned a blue-green hue. This is because the alloys that the plaque is made of contains copper. When copper is exposed to water, it oxidizes and forms a layer that protects the metal underneath it from degrading any further. The patina and color are called verdigris. Stand facing the grave of this person (1897 – 1917) and look at the taller tombstone to his left. What is the first name of the person buried here? Choose the correct answer from the choices below.
A. Eugene - Go to N40 58.808 W075 12.113
B. Irvin - Go to N40 58.874 W075 12.242
C. John - Go to N40 58.814 W075 11.930
D. Raymond - Go to N40 58.820 W075 12.190
Stage 15 - Once you arrive at this area, you will see that you are on the edge of one area of the cemetery. There are a few tombstones/markers in this area, but the one you are looking for is a little bit out of the way in a not so maintained area. The name on the marker is George and the date of birth on the marker is the year 2000. You might find a few graves with the same name/name variation on it, but with different dates of birth. Just remember to look for the one with the correct date of birth (2000). When you find the correct marker, there will be a hint where the final cache container will be located.
When arriving at the final cache location, no need to remove the entire geocache container from it's hiding spot. Just open the lid to retrieve. I hope you enjoyed your tour of the cemetery. There are plenty of historical graves and many different styles of tombstones here, but if I took you to all of them, there would be way too many stages. Please use stealth when walking around the cemetery and be respectful at all locations.