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The Fake Boundary Stone Mystery Cache

Hidden : 6/12/2023
Difficulty:
3 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size:   micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:


CACHE IS NOT AT POSTED COORDINATES...

AND NEITHER IS THE SOUTH-WEST TWO BOUNDARY STONE!?!?!?!?!?!

Wait, how is that possible? I'm here, where the coordinates have taken me. I'm looking at a boundary stone. It's enclosed like so many of the others. It's a stone. It looks important and totally real. What am I missing?

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Exhibit A:

Map made by the pre-eminent boundary stone historian Fred E. Woodward in 1906:

That's right, take a close look at the lower left between "R Cunningham", and "In Yard of 1200 Wilkes Street".

MISSING

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Exhibit B:

Marcus Baker's, "The Boundary Monuments of the District of Columbia (1897)"

It's not there, he writes:

Stood upon the north side of Shuter's hill, where in late years
excavations have been made; not found, and it is thought that it is lost.

OK, let's get back to the stone that's there. What is it and who is responsible?

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Exhibit C:

Kenneth Lawrence's "Record of the Present Condition and Location of the Mile-Stones (1949)"

So, yes, it seems we have our culprit insofar as placing the bogus stone: the Daughters of the American Revolution. It's really hard to blame them though. They didn't lose the original. And who doesn't want a complete set of something?  Showcasing only 39 out of the 40 boundary stones just doesn't vibe the same way as 40 for 40. So they put a new one down, big deal. 

They totally put the fake SW2 in its original place. Right?

WRONG.

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Exhibit D:

Findings and Recommendations of the Northern Virginia Boundary Stones Committee (1994-1995)

In 1995 the United States Department of the Interior surmised that the the mysterious SW2 was originally placed alongside the Leesburg turnpike -- a/k/a Route 7 a/k/a King Street -- and NOT on Russell Road. It also places it on the EASTERN slope of Shuter's Hill (and not the southern slope where it currently resides).

It's up the Shuter's Hill along King Street. Just how far? Let's look at the last bit of information.

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Exhibit E:

boundarystone.org's "biography" Boundary Stone SW2

This vital website's biography of SW2 suggests the original stone was placed about a third of a mile away along a specific course. How did it disappear? No one knows but all signs point to workmen mining the hill for gravel and loam to create roads. Although the foreman of the roadmen blamed erosion.  He called it the "creeping down hill" phenomenon.

Well, we live close to this place and walk and bike here often so we took an evening walk and maybe we found it? Or maybe it's a geocache. Well, it's probably a geocache. But it IS very close to the actual original spot of SW2. We can't send you there though because it's on private property. If you're curious, it'll be directly across the not-busy and very steep street from the GZ.

To find the cache, project 311 degrees at a distance of 0.33 miles from S1 (the location of the fake boundary stone).


For the uninitiated, the geocaching toolbox coordinate projection works well for us.

IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. 3-hour free S1 parking is almost always available on Russell Road between Cedar and Rosement. Waypoint included.
2. S2 is NOT accessible by car from King Street. There is 3-hour free parking adjacent to GZ but DO NOT APPROACH BY CAR FROM KING STREET. To get to GZ you will need to turn west from Russell Road.
3. S2 is a 0.33 miles walk from S1, obviously, but it is straight up hill. Consider if you want to get your steps in for the day.
4. Of course you can do the projections from home and please do. But please note there is separate cache that requires visiting the bogus boundary stone and you wouldn't want to miss out on that.

You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.

BEST HISTORICAL/EDUCATIONAL CACHE AWARD NOMINEE!!!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Lbh'er ybbxvat sbe n Snxr Obhaqnel Fgbar ng gur ohf fgbc

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)