To find this cache, you do not need to enter the gates to the Scary
Park. Go there only if you have the courage. The cache is a
camouflaged matchstick container. Snow will make it harder to find.
The neighbors may not like night cachers. You can park very close
to the cache.
The Legend Of Scary Park
This park has always had a strange history associated with it.
It is a large undeveloped city park located in eastern Erie. The
original sign and local maps of the area state that it is
McClelland Park, but is referred to by the City of Erie as Project
70 Site #6. This name designation seems to state that it is more
than just a mere city park. Neighbors often speak about seeing
colored lights at the night over the park. Strange sounds can
sometimes be heard emanating from the field in the center. In this
field, you can sometimes see large circular impressions in the
ground, as if something large had been sitting there. Is it Aleins?
UFO's? My father-in-law, who is retired from the Parks Department,
confirmed that no trees will grow in the field. What is really up
with Site #6?
The sign at the main entrance sometimes states “McClelland
Park”, but other times it is blank. Rumor has it the letters
have been repainted several times since it was posted, but they
always seem to disappear, almost overnight. It’s as if the
park does not like its new name. The property was once known
locally as Old Maid's Hill. Its 56 acres of land were purchased in
the 1960s as thirteen individual parcels for use as a park or
playground, but oddly the park has never been developed. Reports
are that the Old Maid's spirit still roams about the park,
searching for other lost souls who dare to enter. The foundation
remains of the Old Maid's house can be seen towards the rear of the
park which is entangled with various thorn apple trees. Many unwary
cachers have become ensnared in them. Only visit this part of the
park if you are brave enough to go there.
The park property is bisected south to north by a shale-bottomed
stream known as McDaniel's Run. One story says that McDaniel was a
farmer who raised black geese in the run. In the early
1800’s, deer hunters sometimes saw the dark fowl floating in
the stream. The geese were considered evil, and kept the hunters
from crossing the stream. McDaniel disappeared in the late
1800’s, but the stream has always provided an obstacle to
hikers and cachers alike. Although the geese are gone, many believe
that the stream is cursed. It mysteriously reappears in front of
them forcing them to cross it again and again.
The southern half of the property is covered in a hardwood
forest consisting of oak, cherry, and white birch. Perhaps this is
why GPSr’s have so many issues in this park. Or maybe it is
some other unseen force.
There is a legend of a missing gold shipment that was lost in
the Lake Erie region in the late 1700’s during the American
Revolution. Captain James Lucifer of the British Navy and his
shipmates allegedly hid the gold in the park to avoid detection by
American Revolutionaries. Later, he and his troop would be
captured, but the gold was never recovered. It is still in the
park? Do the spirits of the captain and his crew still guard it
today?
Yes, this truly is a Scary Park.
Please log a DNF or send us an email if you are having
troubles.
