I went to an estate sale in my
neighborhood. The house was a big old peeling Victorian
loaded with porches and gables, sitting back in the shade. As
I wandered through the house, looking at the ancient
furniture, old china and cookware, Chinese rugs - the
accumulations of a long lifetime - it was like stepping back
in time a generation or two. Finally I found what really
interested me. In the attic were two boxes full of old books.
I made a deal for all of them.
At home later, I sorted through the grade school
primers, religious training books, Tom Swift books, and old novels.
Most of the books were from the 1920’s or earlier, and some fell to
pieces as I tried to open them. An old Bible near the bottom of the
box seemed to be in good shape, though. I opened it and found the
inscription “To Charles,
9/24/09” penned inside the front cover. As I
looked further, a folded sheet of paper slipped out from near
Exodus chapters 12 and 13.
After reading this, I became consumed with the thought that
Charles had never come back to find this note and the Mason jar
might still be there after all these years. Could the tree possibly
still be standing, or was it on the ground and rotting away? I’ve
researched parish records, property deeds and abstracts, and old
newspapers. I’ve put together some of the story, but still haven’t
found the jar.
Here is what is known so far:
The estate being sold belonged to Charles’ cousin. He was the
last of a once large family and had apparently ended up with
everybody’s stuff over the years.
Charles' brother, Armand, died in World War One and is buried at
N 38° 34.734 W 90° 24.992. Charles is buried nearby.
“Our house” at 129 North Geyer Road, torn down in 1952, was
located at N 38° 34.925 W 90° 24.965.
Wexler Spring was located at N 38° 34.992 W 90° 25.263. At one
time it was a local landmark and appears on old maps, but dried up
as the area was developed into neighborhoods.
Hints / Suggestions /
Comments
- No math calculations or projections are
required, but the solution is of a technical
nature.
- Of the “clues” provided above, only some
will be of help in determining the actual
coordinates.
- The container is not a Mason jar, but a
small Tupperware box with a piece of camouflaged material over it.
It is above ground level. Please recover it as you found
it.
- The tree cover is fierce, so get the “big
picture” of the cache location on a mapping program like
OziExplorer or ExpertGPS before you go out
looking.
- A shiner has been placed on a tree that is
within 30 feet of the cache.
- If you need more hints, send an email
through the profile link above.
- Any comments regarding the rating of this
cache are welcome.
- Have fun!