An Eternal View Traditional Cache
EmTeeNesters: Rest in Peace
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This is an easily accessible decon container placed near an
interesting gravesite in a old cemetery just outside of Oxford, NY.
Please be respectful of the few residents in the cemetery. Cache
can be located easily without moving any stones in the stone wall.
(Permission for cache placement has been obtained.)
A Father's
Promise
A community is defined by its triumphs and its tragedies. And some
of its stories are written in graveyards, speaking of times gone
by, and of loved ones who've passed on.
Such is the story of Meritt Beardsley, whose gentle tale of a
child lost and a promise kept has haunted generations of Oxford
residents and anyone else who has heard the story of a little boy
who was afraid of the dark.
"Little Meritt" is not known to haunt the cemetery where he's lain
since Dec. 15, 1865.
Even though the Oxford house where the 8-year-old boy lived has
vanished from the earth, the story continues to fascinate, says
Charlotte Stafford, who has chronicled Oxford's history for many
years.
Stafford says it's the story that most people ask about, and the
interest has not waned over the decades, she says. For sheer,
haunting poignancy, none is more powerful.
The morning sun rolls over the hills outside Oxford and into a
tiny window cut into a handmade stone-and-earth tomb in a
long-forgotten family cemetery. For as long as the sun rises, it
will shine into Meritt Beardsley's eternal resting place, lighting
a dark place for a boy whose greatest fear was the dark.
Meritt was dying of a fever, the story goes -- common enough in a
world without antibiotics and vaccines. He begged his family not to
leave his body in the dark because he was terrified of being alone
in the black of night.
Meritt's father, William Beardsley, would not let his boy spend
eternity in darkness. So he made him a promise about letting the
daylight into his tomb. And so it has been for 141 years. Every
day, as the sun has risen, William Beardsley's promise has been
kept.
William outlived his son by about 20 years. His gravestone, which
includes Meritt's name, stands in the same cemetery. But little
else is known about the family. Meritt's mother, Sarah, has her
name chiseled on the tombstone, but no date of death is listed --
another small mystery, without answers.
A later generation added a sign to the tomb: "Little Merrit's
Tomb" -- misspelling Meritt's name, but meaning well.
The window has become darkened and dirty over the years. One of
the curious who looked through the window several years ago told
Stafford there's nothing inside the tomb.
Still, every day, Meritt's dying wish is met by the promise his
father made.
(Nancy Dooling, Press & Sun Bulletin,
10/31/06.)
To learn more about little Meritt Beardsley and his dad's
promise:
A Window in a Grave
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Va gur fgbar jnyy jurer Zrevgg unf n ivrj. Whfg ernpu va, Abguvat jvyy arrq gb or bireghearq gb svaq jung lbh ner ybbxvat sbe.
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