This geocache is dedicated to my grandfather who passed away this year and was passionate about the history of his hometown, Kingston, NY.
This intersection at John and Crown streets, known as the four corners, is the only intersection in the United States where the current buildings on all four corners were originally built before the Revolutionary War.
All four buildings are built with native limestone. In 1777 all four buildings were also partially burned down by the British. The British burned the entire city of Kingston in retaliation to the NY State constitution being ratified and Kingston being named the capital of NY state.
Dr. Matthew Jansen House (Left of GZ)
The oldest house in the intersection, it was first mentioned in Dutch court documents in 1663-1667. At the time the city was called Wiltwyck and was part of the colony of New Amsterdam. It was rebuilt in 1790 following the burning in 1777. This house has also been referred to as the “house of Doctors” as it has been used as a doctors office by many over the years.
Matthewis Persen House (Right of GZ)
The second oldest building in the intersection, it was first mentioned in a sale document in 1698. This house is named for its longest resident and belonged to the Persen family until the 1820’s when it was converted into a public house, sometimes holding overflow prisoners from the jail. It was a private residence until acquired by the city of Kingston in 1914. The Persen house is now a museum, which displays artifacts from the house.
Franz Roggen House. (Directly across from GZ)
This house was built in 1752 by a Swiss immigrant. It was occupied by the Roggen family for 200 years. It was completely gutted when burned down in 1777. It remained in ruins until 1800. During that time some of its remaining beams were used as gallows, which were later incorporated into the house. This has led to a rumor of the house being haunted. A second floor closet above the entrance was used to shelter formerly enslaved people escaping on the underground railroad.
Kingston Academy (at GZ)
This school was built in 1774 and was the first to open after being burned down in 1777, only 5 months later. It was a school until 1830 when the school was moved to another building. Over the years it has housed a carpenter shop, newspaper office, a Sears, and a number of restaurants.
Of course the history of the area is even older than the buildings you see here. This area has been and remains the homelands of the Munsee Lenape for thousands of years.
To log this virtual you must do two things.
- Look for a square plaque on the corner of the Academy building and message me the date listed at the bottom.
- Take a picture with one of the buildings and share in your log. Please do not include the plaque in your picture. If you do not wish to be in the picture please include your hand in a family friendly gesture. My personal favorite is the Live long and prosper hand symbol.
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.