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North Church Traditional Geocache

Hidden : 7/29/2013
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size:   other (other)

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Geocache Description:

Formerly "Ivory Tower"

On the Pleasant Street side of North Church in Portsmouth. USE EXTREME STEALTH AND TAKE CARE TO RETURN THE CACHE EXACTLY AS FOUND. It is listed at 2.5 precisely because there will be many muggles at most times, so be wary!

Night caching would be fun here!

COORDINATES TEND TO BE SPOTTY. CHECK HINT IF NECESSARY.


The logbook tends to get full pretty quick on this one. If there is no room, feel free to take a spoiler-free pic of the container and attach it to your log online.

Overview

The North Church of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States is a historic church. It is located in Market Square across from the Portsmouth Athenæum. The church features an Italianate edifice and a steeple which can be seen from most of the city. The spire of North Church has been referred to as Portsmouth's "landmark of record".

History

The first church built in Portsmouth was constructed in 1657 near a milldam. Another church building was built on a corner of the same 50-acre glebe at the corner of Congress Street and Pleasant Street roughly fifty years later. A large clock and bell were placed upon the church in 1749. The church kept extensive records of baptisms, marriages, and funerals of members. The second church was replaced by a new building in 1835, although the same clock, bell, and furnishings were used. The church was a three story wooden building that featured two tiers of balconies. The pulpit and the main entrance were located at different sides of the building. It had a 150-foot (46 m) steeple.

Members of the church were required to purchase pews. Prominent members included William Whipple, John Langdon, and Daniel Webster. President George Washington attended a service during his visit to New Hampshire in 1789. Slave owners had to purchase extra pews for their slaves. The slave pews were on the top corner of the balcony and had a clear view out the window to the town's whipping post. A majority of the black people in Portsmouth attended North Church, and the church appointed an overseer to ensure that they paid proper attention during the sermon. The church often paid indigent members of the community small sums of money to do menial tasks. In 1854 the church building was demolished and there was an extensive Victorian style renovation and rebuilding project on the same site. The new building cost $30,000 to construct. In 1856 a more modern clock was installed. The congregation planned to have the bell recast in England, but it was lost in a shipwreck. A new organ was added in 1890. A bell on the church was used to signal the community's 9 P.M. curfew from the 1700s into the 1900s.

Recent History

The church was renovated in 1978, as part of efforts to enhance the beauty of Market Square. In May 2006 the roof of the building underwent a major renovation project and a new spire was installed. In addition to hosting the services of the North Church congregation, the building is also rented out for concerts and worship services held by congregations that lack their own building.

from wikipedia.org

As for the name: back to Halo again! This is a multiplayer map from Halo 2. Set inside a penthouse in New Mombasa, Sol 3, this was "Once home to the famous socialite Lance O'Donnell, the top floor of this building is now a public park."

Handy equipment for taking control of the tropical-themed penthouse includes the M41 SSR MAV/AW, the Type-1 EW/S, the M90 CAWS, the Type-33 GML, and the SSR 99C-S2 AM. One of the more prominent features on the map is an indoor koi pond; though this cache is not indoors, it is in nice area (near some fountains that are perfect for looking contemplatively at, while searching desperately for a cache).

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

TB GB SEBAG BS PUHEPU. TB BA GUR YRSG FVQR. YBPNGR GUR OYNPX SRAPR NAQ TB NYY GUR JNL GB GUR RAQ. PNPUR VF N OYNPX ANAB. AB ARRQ GB GRNE HC JNYY. TBBQ YHPX

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)