HISTORY SERIES
This cache is part of a cache series based on local history.
FOUNTAIN INN 1898
At the posted coordinates, there is a grave of a man whose name has never been ascertained, a suicide victim who, in July of 1905, was found hanging from a tree by a liquor dealer named John Becker. Becker ran to tell John F. Goldy, proprietor of the nearby Fountain Inn, and the two men then notified the authorities. Goldy, better known as "Cappy" in those parts, was a colorful fellow from Scotland.
After Becker and Goldy had notified the authorities, they returned to where the body was hanging. They discovered the dead man's coat lying nearby and wallet containing $25.90, but found no clue that could help identify him. Soon the deputy coroner, H.W. McCartney, arrived, accompanied by undertaker C. Liebegott, Mr. Bridenbaugh of the county almshouse, and a handful of curiosity seekers from Duncansville and Gallitzin. They scoured the woods for clues, but came up empty-handed. Because the body of the victim, who was hanging from a tree by a belt, was so badly decomposed, it was impossible to tell what his face had looked like in life.
Undertaker Liebegott's two sons, Luther and George, were assigned the task of burying the body, along with Samuel Keller, who was employed as the caretaker of that particular stretch of highway, which was known as the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia Turnpike at the time. The body was buried about 150 yards from where it had been found, just beyond the shoulder of the road.
Although the body was never identified, the clothes matched the description of those that were worn by a man who, two weeks earlier, had checked into the Norman Hotel in Duncansville. The man, who appeared to be around 45 years of age, spoke English well but had the hint of a foreign accent. He had been seen at the hotel asking for directions to Johnstown.
Samuel Keller never stopped thinking about the unfortunate man he had buried alongside the highway in July of 1905. For more than three decades he visited the grave each and every Memorial Day and placed an American flag atop the burial mound, which had since been planted with lilies, irises and other wildflowers and marked with a wooden cross. Every spring and summer, when the flowers would bloom, the decorated burial mound presented a curious and colorful spectacle to passing motorists up until 1929, when the grave was moved to a different location.
In 1929, when that particular stretch of roadway was relocated to bypass a dangerous curve, the new highway had to pass directly over the grave of the unknown suicide victim. Keller, who was still employed as the highway caretaker at the time, considered it his duty to make sure that the body was properly and respectfully disinterred. Keller, assisted by several members of the highway construction crew, opened the grave and found that the original casket had completely decayed; all that remained were bones, a scrap of leather belt, a dime that had been in the dead man's pocket at the time of his burial, and the metal handles of the coffin. All of these objects were placed into a small box except for the dime, which Keller kept as a memento.
A new grave was dug approximately fifty feet from the south side of the new highway, and marked with a white wooden cross. Keller continued to tend the grave for the remainder of his life-- a devoted caretaker to the very end-- and arranged for his son to take over the job when he passed away.
The grave itself is on the Portage Railroad property. Geocaches are not allowed on the property. So, I made this a offset multi.
The posted coordinates are for the grave site. You are indeed allowed to visit it. At the site, there is a sign (pictured above)
On the sign is a year. Use those four digits to solve the coordinates to locate the final.
Final Coordinates are N40 26.9CA W78 31.7DB
A = the first digit
B = the second digit
C = the third digit PLUS 4
D = the fourth digit
Checksum A+B+C+D = 19
Cell service at GZ is very minimal. A GPS or saving the coords offline is best.
You are looking for a small lock n lock that's roughly the size of a softball.