The Nashville Library is a charming place that’s open Monday through Friday, 9am-6pm, and Saturday, 9am-3pm. (That will be the hours this cache is available.) You’re welcome to check a book out while you’re visiting, all you need is a free library card, which can be obtained with a photo ID that shows proof of current address. The library also offers study rooms and public desktops for up to 2 hours a day at no charge! If you’re lucky, you may even be visiting during one of their regular programs they host, including Storytime and a Builders Club, not to mention the occasional crafts, geared to all ages. For more information about the Nashville Library and its activities, check out their page on Facebook to stay up to date with their calendar and events!
Who doesn’t love the idea of curling up with your favorite blanket, a steaming hot drink, and flipping through the pages of a good mystery? Like this type of cache, I do love a good mystery book! The suspense and trying to figure out the clues and puzzle pieces are just one of those things that just catches my brain and holds it until the mystery is solved. In honor of this being our first mystery and library cache, let me share with you some mystery books that I adore!
For younger readers, you absolutely have to try The 39 Clues, a series of books written by several different authors, including Rick Riordan, the famous author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. The lengthy children's series spins action, suspense, and (age appropriate) danger into facts and history about various places across the world, starting with Paris. Or maybe, for a more classic read, you could dive into The Nancy Drew Mystery Stories. These books have been around since 1930 and, fun fact, were published under a pseudonym of Carolyn Keene, but there were actually several authors, both male and female, that were contracted to give up their rights to the books and maintain anonymity. This series of 175 different connected stand-alones ended in 2003 when publishers decided to make the franchise more contemporary. Every book captivated me with its mystery, clues, and action.
Now, as an adult, I still dive into novels more for my own age. For a good mystery, I love reading any novel by Heather G. Harris, particularly her Portlock Paranormal Detective series (honestly, all of her books have a good mystery to them). This ongoing series that she co-authored features mystery, drama, action, danger, paranormal creatures of all kinds, and even some romance on the side. I could keep writing about and sharing book recommendations (seriously, message me if you want some), but let me refocus back on Geocaching.
The coordinates will take you to a location in the parking lot that has the information on how to actually find the cache inside the building. You will be looking for a black 35mm container. Be very careful because the house that was just built next to the library will make it very easy for those muggles to spot you as you try to grab this clue.
Once you enter the building and start your search, you are looking for a book (safe) titled Paris by 3Einsteins. Naturally, you will need to know how to crack the safe. In order to do so, you’ll need three different books:
To get the first number, find: The History & Architecture of Nash County North Carolina by Richard L. Mattson. You’ll want to find the information on the (former) Baldy Batchelor’s Livery Stable. There are three different dates listed in the description. Find the second number listed in each date and that gives you the first number in the lock.
To find the second number in the safe, you’ll need: Atlas of North American Indian by Carl Waldman. Find the map of the federal and state reservations and other Indian groups that includes the state of North Carolina. The number of tribes in North Carolina is the second number in the safe. (Bonus points if you can guess the tribe Einstein 2 and 3 are from because, like the show Whose Line, the points don’t matter.)
For the final number, you need the book: American Nicknames by Shankle. In this dictionary-like book, find the log for North Carolina. The last number of the code is how many nicknames there are for North Carolina.
When you enter your code, be sure to start with the first digit furthest away from the dial. Please be sure to return the dial to 0-0-0 when you’re done pilfering the loot, so the cacher behind you can get the same experience and to keep the muggles out of the cache!
We also have bookmarks in the cache that we left for everyone so make sure you grab one to mark your library cache experience. You’ll need it if you check a book out before you leave! The cache also has tons of other kinds of swag, so make sure to remember to leave some swag when you take some. And, being that it’s safely out of the elements, you’ll never know what kind of roaming bugs are waiting to travel places…
I know this was a lot to read, but hey, it’s a library cache… ya gotta do some reading to get it! Now go forth and explore a new book and never forget that, as Stephen King said, “Books are a uniquely portable magic.”
(This cache is placed with permission and assistance from the directors of the Nashville Library. Description by Einstein 3.)