In the early morning of July 11, 1804, Burr and Hamilton departed from Manhattan by separate boats and rowed across the Hudson River to a spot known as the Heights of Weehawken, New Jersey, a popular dueling ground below the towering cliffs of the New Jersey Palisades. Dueling had been prohibited in both New York and New jersey, but Hamilton and Burr agreed to go to Weehawken because New Jersey was not as aggressive as New York in prosecuting dueling participants.
The start of the feud was the presidential election where Burr became Vice President. Hamilton, unhappy with the results, undermined Burr with rumors and allegations. Hamilton also tried to block Burr's re-nomination for Vice President. After a long skirmish of words, the two finally met on the riverbank below the cliffs to work it out with pistols.
The men faced off and Hamilton fell to the ground. While he did not die instantly, he was able to say that he never intended to fire the gun. He died the next day at home, the pistol's ball had lodged next to his spine.
In 1870, a set of railroad tracks was run through the old dueling grounds. The Death Rock, which is said to be the actual rock on which Hamilton rested after the duel, was moved to its current perch on Hamilton Ave.
On July 12, 1935, the current bronze head of Hamilton was placed atop of the rock. In 1990s the head was moved off the rock and onto a tall pedestal for easier viewing. The rock sits behind the pedestal, partially hidden from view.
Logging requirement:
Post a photo of yourself (or a geocaching related object) with the rock in the photo.
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.