Welcome to the Richmond KY Parks & Recreation GeoTrail (RPGT3). To participate in this GeoTrail and earn your free souvenir for finding at least 25 out of 30+ geocaches available, visit: Richmond KY GeoTrail to obtain your Passport.
When it comes to Geocaching in and around Madison County, KY, the Berea Chamber of Commerce was the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) in hosting Geocaching Events in the area, and built a GeoTour that became the largest in the United States (it had 150 active caches). A feat accomplished and maintained by geocaching volunteers and loyal businesses who supported the growing family friendly adventure every year.
The Berea Chamber served as the "Roots" for the GeoTrail you are now participating in through the Richmond KY Parks & Recreation Dept. What began as a humble activity to draw a few people to visit Berea in 2014 grew into annual event with permanent caches over a decade, and drew thousands of people to Berea during that time (including from multiple different countries). Now, Richmond KY Parks & Rec enjoys hosting many of the same geocachers that used to attend the events in Berea.
The Berea Chamber is housed in a building owned by the City of Berea. This structure was built in 1938 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" era during the Great Depression in the US. The building served as the Berea Post Office. The front of the building was the area where customers accessed their postal boxes. The building houses a significant mural, "Berea Commencement in the Old Days," painted by Frank Long in 1940, funded by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The Berea Post Office today is located on Glades Rd in Berea.
A portion of the old Berea Post Office building is now leased to the Chamber for its operations. Berea City Council Meetings and Madison County Fiscal Court Meetings take place in the large meeting room. Prior to the construction of the new City Hall (next door), the Berea Police Dept used to be housed in the basement of the building, and an office for the Madison County Clerk's office was located in the rear of building.
In 2014, when the Berea Geocaching Weekend began, the Berea Chamber was located in a small office in the Broadway Center office building in Old Town Berea. It moved to a larger office space in the old (brick) Peoples Bank building on Chestnut Street in 2018. The Chamber then had the opportunity to move to its current location in 2022. This geocache honors the "Cultural Roots" that the Berea Chamber played in building an audience that drew geocaches in from near and far for the October Geocaching Weekends held in Madison County, KY.