-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(micro)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
A cache is nearby! This mini-puzzle cache will take the intrepid cacher to two noteworthy sites in the history of Cambridge and of the American Revolution. Finding the first location leads to the second location, where the actual cache is located. (cache adopted 2014/07/01)
On East Cambridge’s highest ground, where the three-story red brick building that you see in front of you stands, stood the center of General Washington’s Fort Putnam, whose fortifications covered four present city blocks on the hilltop. General Putnam and four hundred men, on Washington’s orders, began throwing up redoubts in mid-December 1775, and continued the work, despite heavy British fire from ships and floating batteries in the Charles River. But in January 1776, General Henry Knox brought with him over 40 cannon that had been drawn through winter snows on ox-sleds all the way from Fort Ticonderoga in New York. Washington used the long-range weapons to pound the British in Boston, contributing greatly to their evacuation of the city. Once you get to the site, peer due east and try to imagine a British-occupied Boston easily viewed from this vantage point. The stone plaque embedded in Putnam Apartments provides the clue for finding the actual cache. Look for the only six-letter word starting with the letter “f”. Then, substitute the first three letters of the word in place of the question marks for the latitude, and the second three letters of the word in place of the longitude. Then, using the alphanumeric code provided, switch to numbers, and voila, the location of the cache is found! A=5, B=9, C=7, D=3, E=3, F=2, G=6, H=5, I=4, J=8, K=8, L= 4, M=7, N=5, O=0, P=2, R=6, S=4, T=1, U=1, W=6, Y=1 N.42.22.??? W071.04.??? Second Point You are now approaching a public plaza (watch out for historical muggles and doggie presents). This nanocache is found near another historical marker: on the night of April 18, 1775, along here, with the former shoreline of the Charles River slanting from what is now the high-rise courthouse to the present Lechmere square, that the fateful Minuteman events were sparked. The British were looking to confiscate gunpowder and supplies stored in Concord, and under the cover of darkness, 800 Redcoats rowed from Boston Common across the Charles River at high tide and waded ashore. They had come in long boats, but due to a shortage of boats, it took about two hours for all the troops to cross. While the British tried to do this in secret, unbeknownst to them, Paul Revere had already galloped towards Lexington with his alarm and William Dawes got there through a different route shortly after. Meanwhile, the redcoats traversed what is now Somerville until they reached Beech Street near Porter Square. From there they followed what is now Massachusetts Ave. west to Lexington and Concord. The next morning, over 1,000 British reinforcements followed, and the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War had begun. Works Cited: Cambridge Historical Commission, Cambridge During the Revolution (1985) John Harris, Historic Walks in Cambridge (Globe Pequot 1986)
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Abj jurer ba guvf srapr jbhyq lbh chg n anabpnpur fb uvfgbel-zvaqrq zhttyrf jbhyqa’g svaq vg?