GCREXC Harwich History - Main to Hollow (Multi-cache) in Massachusetts, United States created by Teamhawaii1981 & blueicyrose

This cache has been archived.

Teamhawaii1981 & blueicyrose: Well, I had to close this one up. I am moving to Northern VT in a few months and have a very busy last semester of school ahead, so don't foresee myself being able to get down to the Cape much if at all over the next few months, so I decided to shut this one down. I picked up the final container, if anyone wants some particular Swag back that they dropped off, let me know I can mail it out, otherwise I will be placing it in ohter caches I visit. I also picked up the disposable camera, and will be posting the pics to the cache page for those interested. Thanks for visiting the cache all those who did, and maybe it will be replaced if I move back down here in a few years! Thanks, TH1981 & bir.

GCREXC ▼

A cache by Teamhawaii1981 & blueicyrose Message this owner

Hidden : 11/25/2005

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

Welcome to Harwich! This 7 stage multi will take you well less than an hour and bring you on a mile roundtrip; but will give you a tour of the often travelled through and passed over Historical Harwich Main Street. This is one of the most quaint and well kept main streets on the Cape. However, it attracts few tourists due to the limited commerce; but it has tons of wonderful stories; and if you can close your eyes and pretend to be surrounded by horse and buggy, walking on dirt roads, and eliminate all the din of modern society, I bet you will enjoy your trip!

Notes: You probably will want to bring a calculator for this journey! Also, there are no caches on private property; so don't go on any! Please respect the area! Cachemate and GSAK truncate the listing, so make sure to bring a printout or jot down the calculations (You could also go into one of the stages if open and use the public internet). ***Also, a few stages might be tough if there is snow on the ground!*** If you can please Cache-In-Trash-Out; there are many trash receptacles for you to help out a little!

Note for cache: All Stages have the same degrees and minutes for each stage:
N41 41.xxx; W070 04.xxx
You will be replacing the last three digits in each waypoint to get to the next stage based on what you figure out at each stage. Furthermore, all calculations you perform will give you a long decimal number. You are to only take the first three digits (left of decimal; the whole number) to plug into your new coordinates.

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Harwich, as the rest of the country, was originally inhabited by Native Americans. It was occupied by the Wampanoag Confederacy of the Nauset Tribe. The Saquatucket was their village in the NW; the Potonumequot in the SE, and the Nakskakit in the NE. Harwich was first explored extensively by Thomas Dermer in 1619 with a catpured Native American, Tisquantum, from the Pawtuxet Tribe in Plimoth. Harwich was not visited again until 1626 when a Scottish ship sunk in Pleansant Bay. Then no more White Men arrived until March 2, 1640 when Plimoth Plantation granted a charter to a new Colony in Harwich. A Committee was sent to examine the area, they decided the farm land to be fertile and the land expansive enough to support their church. Thus they paid the Wampanoag in "Moose Skins, Wampum, Indian Coats, and little knives" and acquired what is now Harwich, Brewster, and Orleans and gave it the name Harwich. It was from these few Colonists that a wonderful little town grew....

Stage One: The coordinates listed above will bring you to the first stage of the multi. This building is one of the most notable on the street, and the most visited of the buildings you will see today. The building first looked as it does to the right when it was erected by Obed Brooks between in the first few years of the 19th century. Obed was the 3rd generation of Harwich Brooks. His grandfather Ebenezer was one of the originial colonists. Obed rented the lower floor to shop owners to make money to support the upper floor as a library. In 1855 before the death of Obed, he sold the store to the bank where it operated for the next century until sold to the town for the current use. The right side of the modern building is still the building that housed the bank. It was not until the 1990's that new addition was added on to expand the growing collection of items that are currently housed inside. Obed also had a house on this main street, which had attached to it the post office; but the remains are gone. The structure in front of you served then, and still does today, as the East end-post to Main Street, at that East end of the building the road used to turn into a narrow dirt path, barely wide enough for a buggie to fit down.
Your Task Here: At the waypoint, look up. You will see three numbers above the door on the building. Take those three numbers and divide them by 5.35. That whole number will be the new last three digits in your North waypoint. Now, while standing here admrining the building, look about 25 feet to your right, there is a sign that sticks out perpindicular to the building. This is the name of the building. Count the letters on the sign. Multiply that total by 35.53 and the whole number of your calculation will be the new last three digits for the West waypoint for stage #2.

Now, as you walk along the road to Stage #2 you will pass some modern convenience stores and a gas station. Along this side of the road used to be The Moody Residence, a shoe store, a general store, and a pharmacy/photography store. The lone building left from that generation is still standing. It is the big red building right after the gas station. That was the pharmacy. It housed for many years "The Stewed Tomato" a breakfast nook; but has changed recently to various lessors.

Stage Two: At stage two you will end at a small stone in the middle of a yard. This is the second attempt at this "hide". The first was placed in the cornerstone of the building in front of you whne being built. However, when it was opened it was all dust. This is a new attempt. Look up from the stone, in front of you is the Brooks Academy, built in 1844. It was opened as Pine Grove Seminary school (because it was built in a pine grove) by another Brooks relative. However, in 1867, it was sold to the town and was used as the High School until 1937. It now houses the Harwich Historical Museum, where they have the most amazing collection of artifacts, photographs, and information. Please notice the Powderhouse (small) and Privy (tall) to your right. They were originally located at Stage Six. I will tell you about them there. If it is open, I would highly reccommend going for a tour! Also visit their site here: The Harwich Historical Society. This is where some of my information originated.
Your Task Here:Take the year this was buried and divide by 13.17; the whole number will be your new North last digits. Take the year it will be dug up and divide by 3.5 this whole number will be the last three digits for your new West coordinates.

Stage Three: Really quick, huh? Here you will read about one of Harwich's finest. Take the year he was born and divide by 9.225. The resulting whole number will be your new North last three digits. Take the year he died, divide by 3.329 the resulting whole number will be your last three West digits.
Notice the Revolutionary Memorial. Harwich had many serve in the war. Many soldiers can be read about in "History of Harwich" by Mildred B. Paine. Which is available at Stage One.

Stage Four: No pictures, because I don't want to give the spot away. But this is a fine building, and was the first of its kind in Harwich. The current building rests on the spot of the Colonial Meeting House, which was resurrected at the date "organized" on the current sign (it was probably the third time it was rebuilt by that date). Here Rev. Nathaniel Stone gave sermons and built the population of Harwich from scratch. To the left you can see the first cemetary of Harwich where many of the first colonists are buried, including many of the Brooks family mentioned within. The last meeting house was destroyed by fire the year of the plaque the Historical Commission placed to the left of the entrance. The current structure you are standing in front of was built in 1854-55 to renovate the old one.
Your Task Here: Take the date this structure was "organized" and divide it by 9.39 and that new whole number will be the new last three digits of your North coordinates; take the year the new structure was built on the plaque by the Historical Commission and divide that by 3.37 and that whole number will be the new last three digits for your West coordinates.

You can also log this benchmark: LW3873 Just make sure to look up!

Stage Five:All you will see here now is a monument to the grandeur that once was. The Harwich exchange building was built in 1855. It was the largest building on the Cape at that time. It served as a beacon for coming ships both from the Bay and the South. It burnt down in 1876, and was rebuilt again in 1885. During WWII, the copoula at the top was a lookout for enemy fighter planes. The enormous building had three floors. The bottom was a mini-mall shop area; the second floor had a "theatre" room that housed plays, town meetings, and other events. The third floor had a parque floor and was used as a roller skating rink and basketball court. Stage coaches left regularly from here to taxi people throughout the town. It was torn down later due to the heavy economical burden to the town. The image can still be seen in the monument at this site. There were two benchmarks on the building; but both were lost with it.
Your Task Here: Take thge year on the white sign in the middle of the garden, and divide it by 9.05 . The resulting three digits to the left of the decimal will be your new North coordinate. How many letters are in the bottom (4th) row on that same white sign? Take that number and multiply by 11.75 the resulting three digits to the left of the decimal will be your nre West coordinate.

On your walk, you will pass a more modern brick building that is currently used by the Town Hall. This was the building the Bank built and operated out of when it sold Stage One to the town.

Stage Six This is one of my favorite spots in town. The pillars you walked by were once the entry gates to The Brooks Estate property, and a white picket fence surrounded this whole park. This park is where the Colonial Soldiers outpost was during the Revolution. Although there was no "action" seen, they still were ready at a moment's notice. The Powderhouse and Privy from Stage two were once located here and held all the munitions for the town. Notice the two cannons you walked through to get here. Those were original Revolutionary War cannons. They sat idle for a century. But twice rowdy revellers on the Fourth of July in different years dragged them onto Main St. to fire them off. Once a man lost a leg from the shot while standing at the other end of the road; another time the cannon backfired and killed the teenager trying to fire it. You can see Revolutionary Camps and Reenactments at this location in the summer. Please feel free to play some ball, frisbee, catch, or walk your dog here. But pick up after yourself.
Your Task Here: Take the date on the left pillar and add to that number the total number of letters in the name of the person who donated the park. Then take that number and divide by 8.16. The resulting three digits to the left of the decimal are your new North coordinated. Then look to the right pillar. Your new West coordinates are xyz. x = the number of characters in the very first word on the pillar; y = 4th letter, 2nd word; 1st letter, 4th word; 2nd letter, 5th word; 5th letter, 6th word; 2nd letter, 10th word; z = the number of "r's" on the right pillar.

Stage Seven Well, here is your prize for coming with me on my tour. The final box is a customed cammoed tupperware; hopefully hidden well. It is in the "Hollow" as the local youngsters, which TH1981 once was, used to call it. It is a very popular place for morning walks with dogs. Please take a picture of yourself with disposable, and note which picture yours was in your log. Do not take the yellow box, but you may trade what is inside out.
But please remember:

I hope you enjoyed my first hide as much as I enjoyed hiding it!
In addition to Paine's "History of Harwich" mentioned above, I used Joan M. Maloney's "Harwich" for some of my information. Both wonderful books on this lovely town!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Svany: Haqre Fznyy Cvar

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)