John Henry is a legendary American folk hero. He was a freed slave who was also incarcerated for a time after the Civil War. After his release he gained work as a "steel driving man" whose job was hammering a steel drill into rock to make holes for explosives to blast the rock in constructing a railroad tunnel.
John Henry's legend comes from a race against a steam-powered rock drilling machine, which he won only to die in victory with hammer in hand as his heart gave out from stress. The story of John Henry is told in a classic blues folk song which exists in many versions, including those by Pete Seeger, Johnny Cash, and Bruce Springsteen. It has been the subject of numerous stories, plays, books, novels, television shows, and movies
John Henry told his captain,
"Well a man ain't nothin but a man,
But before I let your steam drill beat me down,
I'll die with a hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord
I'll die with a hammer in my hand"
(The Ballad of John Henry)
John Henry was honoured with a U.S. postage stamp in 1996 as part of a series of American folk heroes. The states of Virginia, West Virginia and Alabama all lay claim to be the site of the fabled contest between man and machine.
An interesting side note to this story: A 9 pound sledge hammer said to be John Henry's was featured in touring exhibitions in the early part of the last century. On July 1, 1927 it was featured at the Fielding Dominion Day Town Fair. That night, during the evening hootenanny, several drunken youths from a neighbouring town stole the priceless artifact and lost it somewhere north of town. Sadly, it was never found.
This cache has been placed for SCAR2022 and is not to be found prior to 5:30 pm on Friday, May 27th. When you do find it, remember that you need to sign the log.