This is another in a series of micro caches designed to show off the beautiful and historic stone arch bridges that span the Antietam Creek in Washington County, Maryland.
While the word Antietam brings to mind the bloody and pivotal battle fought near Sharpsburg in July of 1862, the waters of the Antietam creek, that ran red with the blood of two huge contending armies at Burnside Bridge, have their origins in Franklin County.
Waters flowing from the western slopes of South Mountain join with tributaries fed by robust valley springs to form two branches. The lazy and meandering East Branch and West Branch skirt Waynesboro on either side before joining just north of the Mason-Dixon line. The West Branch provided a boyhood fishing hole that yielded rainbow trout, catfish, chubs and sunfish aplenty. The East Branch skirts the Renfrew Park and Museum.
Most of these bridges were built near or adjacent to water-powered mills, where grains and corn were ground into flour and meal. Several were built to bypass or span creek fords on roads that carried heavy commerce traffic.
All of bridges (except the Franklin County one) have an historical marker. All of the caches are micros. That is not to say they are difficult to find. Feel free to decrypt the hints, as the real attractions are not the caches but the bridges, the history and nearby scenery.
The Roxbury Mills Bridge is one of several built for the county by Silas Harry. Built in 1824, it was adjacent to the famed Roxbury Mills, ruins of which can still be seen nearby. This cache is a small lock n lock in a fairly obvious place.
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Cautionary Note: This is a one-lane bridge. Be cognizant at all times of approaching motor traffic.