HCWHA US 250th GeoTour
Rose Hill Manor
Party like it’s 1776 with the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area’s 250th GeoTour! Designed for beginner and veteran geocachers, participants will travel through time, solving puzzles and following clues to learn more about mid-Maryland’s rich history. In honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States, our 250th GeoTour will take you throughout Carroll, Frederick, and Washington Counties to sites of historical significance, including battlefields, houses of worship, museums, parks, and more!
Our tour is an opportunity to learn more about the people, places, and events that laid the foundation for our country. While supplies last, those who collect 15 or more will earn this Geotour’s limited edition geocoin commemorating the 250th. Happy hunting!
Courtesy of Frederick County Parks and Recreation
During the Revolutionary War, French informants invited to the colonies by the Committee of Secret Correspondence reported that George Washington’s army was well-equipped and well-staffed with over 50,000 regular soldiers: “Independency is a certainty for 1776 . . .” Thomas Johnson, the first elected and Revolutionary Era governor, was one of six men appointed to the committee in 1775. Johnson’s long political career would shape the future of Maryland, and his dedication to recruiting foreign aid would shape the future of the United States.
The Committee of Secret Correspondence, later renamed the Committee for Foreign Affairs in April, 1777, was led by Benjamin Franklin. Their role was to communicate with sympathetic Europeans and American colonists living abroad to encourage foreign aid to the Patriot cause, including the shipment of arms, ammunition, and men willing to fight.
As governor, Johnson coordinated similar efforts at the state level. He and his brothers built industries and owned the Catoctin Furnace, which provided key munitions during the Revolution. In 1778, Johnson purchased the property, then called Rose Garden, from Peter Hoffman. Crops grown on the land at Rose Hill Manor would have helped feed the large enslaved populations working in those industries.
After the Revolutionary War, Johnson gifted the property to his daughter, Ann, at her marriage to John Grahame. They had the brick mansion house built in the early 1790s. Governor Thomas Johnson held several political roles throughout his long career, including serving on the United States Supreme Court and as head of the Board of Commissioners of the Federal City. In 1819, Johnson died at Rose Hill Manor, his obituary in the Fredericktown Herald solidifying his legacy, in which “His deeds are inscribed in the imperishable archives of his country.”
Dick, Jimmy. “The Committee of Secret Correspondence.” Journal of the American Revolution (2013). https://allthingsliberty.com/2013/08/the-committee-of-secret-correspondence/.
“Maryland Governor Thomas Johnson.” National Governors Association. https://www.nga.org/governor/thomas-johnson/.
“Rose Hill Manor Park & Museums.” Frederick County Parks and Recreation. https://www.recreater.com/404/Rose-Hill-Manor-Park-Museums.
“Secret Committee of Correspondence/Committee for Foreign Affairs, 1775-1777.” United States Department of State: Office of the Historian. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1776-1783/secret-committee.
“Thomas Johnson (1732-1819).” Archives of Maryland (Biographical Series). MSA SC 3520-743. https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc3500/sc3520/000700/000743/html/743extbio.html.
Washington, George. George Washington Papers, Series 3, Varick Transcripts, 1775 to 1785, Subseries 3C, Civil Officials and Private Citizens, Subseries 3C, Letterbook 2: Jan. 2, 1777. January 2, 1777, 1777. Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/mgw3c.002/.
Washington to Gouverneur Morris, July 24, 1778, Founders Online, founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-16-02-0169.
Werther, Richard J. “Volunteer Overload: Foreign Support of the American Cause Prior to the French Alliance.” Journal of the American Revolution (2020). https://allthingsliberty.com/2020/09/volunteer-overload-foreign-support-of-the-american-cause-prior-to-the-french-alliance/.
To receive the final coordinates to the geocache, play the Adventure Lab at Rose Hill Manor and enter into certitude the five bonus words from the Adventure Lab in alphabetical order, lowercase and no spaces. The final coordinates and a hint will be given once solved.
You can validate your puzzle solution with
certitude.
The park hours are from 8AM until sunset. Tour of Rose Hill Manor are:
April-September
Thursday - Sunday
11 am - 4 pm
October - November
Saturday-Sunday
11 am - 4 pm
Please be aware that on any given weekday, there may be large school groups on site visiting Rose Hill Manor.
Thanks to the following members of the Maryland Geocaching Society in placing the hides for this GeoTour: deepdish23, hunterKat, GR8Caches, Snurt, Phos4s, JediTrashPanda and AL's Guide.