Jamestown Matters / Part # 2

Jamestown Matters

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Jamestown Settlement Recreated
 

Colonial Williamsburg

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Teacher's Institute / Summer 2009
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Series Part # 3

  Settlement Visitor's Center

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Jamestown Matters... Welcome to history recreated!  Following our visit to the actual Jamestown archeology site, we went up the road to the state of Virginia's version of Jamestown known as Jamestown Settlement.  The campus was designed to increase the public's understanding of Virginia's role in creating America and eventually, the United States.  The first thing you notice is someone pumped a lot of funding into the foundation that is the site's key sponsor.   You enter the site through a gigantic facility that houses education programs, museums, and enough space to do just about anything you wanted.  I've never seen anything like it!  It resembles a hotel lodge in the Adirondack Mountains! Impressive to say the least!

Jamestown Monument

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If you look at the close-up photo above you can see the monument built to honor the legacy of the Jamestown settlement behind the colossal visitor's center.  The 1970's were good to colonial history, in the sense that a lot of preservation took place in preparation for the nations Bicentennial Celebration. However, I will never "get" architecture from the 1970's decade because... well, I think it's just downright ugly.  Sorry!  The monument is a tall narrow brick rectangle that must be a hundred feet tall. How a stack of bricks is a tribute to the people of Jamestown is beyond my ability to comprehend art or understand the 70's decade as a whole.  I apologize if I offended your love of 90-degree angles and squared edges in historical representation of the past.

The Algonquian Village

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The site is done right... you leave the visitor's center complex and walk back a dirt path to a recreated Algonquian village, which represents the native people of Pocahontas and Chief Powhatan.  The reed wigwams are complete with authentic recreated interiors you can explore.  We sat on deerskin covered benches while our tour guide explained the identity and purpose of the each item inside.   It was history you could examine and experience first hand.  The Native American farming techniques were also on display and their creative approach was interesting to see in live practice.  Corn stalks were planted about five feet apart with beans planted around each base. The corn stalk provided a natural trellis for each bean plant to climb eliminating the need for staking each plant, ingenuity the settlers learned from their New World neighbors during times of peace and trade.

 Wigwam Interior View

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Next, we passed by the palisade walls of the fort to follow our guide down to the docks on the James River, the lifeline for the Jamestown settlers.  Four ships were docked in port including the reproductions of the three ships that brought the first settlers to the colony in 1609.  The Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery are moored in port for you to board and explore.  We used block and tackle on board the Discovery to lift and load a barrel on deck.  Not as easy as it sounds.  A lot of scientific principles in play that suddenly brought back bad memories of a pulley lab I failed in eighth grade as a student!  However, the process was a success and my fears of a slow death, hanging myself in the rigging soon evaporated.

Essential Supply Ships

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Just up stream was the Jamestown-Scotland automobile ferry that is considered part of Virginia State Route 31.  The ferry eliminates the need for a large bridge that would diminish the historical atmosphere of both Jamestown sites.  The ferry operates 24 hours a day and is toll free... can you believe it?   Free!  Depending on the time of day, a dozen or more cars can sit and wait about a half hour to board the busy ferry.  Also, although the far eastern shore is occupied by residents, the land in view from the western shore where we were looking out over the James River was free of all private and commercial development.  A sacrifice that helps keeps the historical integrity of both sites intact and keeps the natural beauty of coastal Virginia pristine. 

Local Encounter on the Dock

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Incidentally, as I was standing on the dock, I suddenly heard... Mr. Martin! Mr. Martin! yelled out from behind me.  Apparently, a Boy Scout troop from my hometown was visiting Jamestown Settlement that very day during the two hour block of time our group was on site.  What are the odds?  Many were former students who started taking pictures of me like I was a historical artifact on display!  I was glad when the scoutmaster appeared to see what all the commotion was about and herded them back toward interests of history rather than history teachers.  Again... What are the odds?  Now I know the challenge other celebrities (like Brad Pitt) experience when venturing out into the civilian world... You can't go anywhere without the paparazzi pouncing on you at every turn.  I was just hoping I wasn't going to wind up on the cover of the National Enquirer at super market checkouts the world over!  Brad and I should start a support group. 

Passenger Aboard the Godspeed

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The triangular shaped fort is recreated as a military and trade facility circa 1612 with many wattle-and-daub structures from the time period.  There were military barracks, storehouses, the governor's modest residence, and an Anglican Church to explore.  The saving grace for Jamestown was a weed cultivated by the Indians called tobacco.  With the help of Sir Walter Raleigh's pipe smoking at major social events, it became instantly popular with the wealthy throughout Europe.   Maybe the settlers of Jamestown couldn't find actual gold but soon tobacco was in such demand it became known as green gold.

Soldier's Barracks

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Jamestown couldn't clear land fast enough to grow what the Native Americans called the stinking weed and even plowed up the few short roads and any open space as make shift fields.  Later the future English husband of Pocahontas, John Rolfe, experimented with seeds from the Spanish Caribbean islands with promising results.  Improvements in cultivation and curing of the product improved the crop's yield and profits.  The major problem with tobacco was that it was the only cash crop or profitable commodity Jamestown had to offer.  The financial success and failure of Jamestown followed the up and down swing of the tobacco market.  Plus, tobacco quickly depleted the soil, robbing the earth of nutrients like no other plant on earth.  Most tobacco fields were void of any productivity within a few years.   "Green Gold" laid waste to the land and even corn could not be grown in the barren soil for up to a decade or more.   As a result, more and more virgin land was cleared for tobacco and western expansion into the interior began along with accompanying conflicts with Native Americas.

Arms and Armor Stores

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Indian problems became the focal point of Jamestown's future and eventually was the cause of the community’s complete demise.  The settlement was attacked in 1622 where 347 settlers were killed, over one fourth of the entire population.   But surprisingly, the final blow to Jamestown would come from an internal enemy, upset over the government’s inability to protect the western settlers from Indian attacks.  Enter Nathanial Bacon, a man who would butt heads with the colony's governor William Berkley more than once.  Upset with Governor Berkley's inaction concerning Indian attacks in the west, Bacon formed his own vigilante army and took matters into his own hands attacking local tribes.  He later arrived in Jamestown, driving the governor out of town.   He then burned Jamestown to the ground destroying the capital of Virginia.  America's first eastern terrorist or western savior was now on the run from colonial authorities but he suddenly died of natural causes and the rebellion fell apart.   Governor Berkley then returned to hunt down, arrest, and execute over 20 of Bacon's followers but the damage was done.  Berkley was recalled by the crown and open elections were held for the first time in fifteen years giving the west the chance to be heard.

 Venison / It's Whats for Dinner

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Jamestown's location had never been ideal and with improved cannon technology it was no longer safe from foreign enemies.  The decision was made to abandon the ashes of Jamestown and move the capital inland to the new location of Middle Plantation in 1676.  The new site was latter dubbed Williamsburg and the rest is history.  However, Jamestown really does matter because although it struggled and eventually failed, it enabled the English to gain a permanent presence in North America much to the benefit of the English Crown and the dismay of the native people who were already here.  This is where the history of the United States of America really first began.

Please See My Additional Photographs of Jamestown Settlement at...

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrjmartin/sets/72157623052557073/

PLEASE SEE RELATED BLOGS…

Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 1

Teacher's Institute Introduction 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/10/williamsburg-introduction.html

 Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 2
Jamestown Matters – Archeological Dig 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/09/jamestown-matters-part-1.html

Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 3

Jamestown Matters – Jamestown Settlement 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/09/jamestown-matters-part-2.html

 Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 4
Williamsburg / Duke of Gloucester Street 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/11/williamsburg-duke-of-gloucester.html

 Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 5
Williamsburg / Capitol and Gaol 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/11/williamsburg-captitol-gaol.html

Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 6
Williamsburg / Governor’s Palace 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/11/williamsburg-governors-palace.html

Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 7
Williamsburg / Great Hopes Plantation 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/11/williamsburg-great-hopes-plantation.html

Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 8
Williamsburg / Market Square 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/12/williamsburg-market-square.html

Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 9
Yorktown / Surrender Field 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/12/yorktown-surrender-field.html

Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 10
Parting Shots / Photography 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/12/williamsburg-parting-shots.html

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Jamestown Matters / Part # 1

Jamestown Matters
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Jamestown Historic Site

Colonial Williamsburg
Teacher's Institute / Summer 2009
Series Part # 2

Jamestown Peninsula Marshland

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Jamestown Matters... Welcome to America's front doorstep, the place where the country was born with the first permanent English colony in the New World.  The Jamestown experiment followed the disaster at Roanoke Island, where the residents and colony disappeared without a trace in total mystery. Jamestown was England's second attempt to establish an English foothold in the region, hoping to compete with the Spanish for a European presence in North America.  Jamestown is where the first church in America was built, where the first representative government was established, and sadly where the first African servants arrived, which later evolved into the slave system.

Illustration / Jamestown Archives

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The colony of Jamestown was a constant struggle of trial and error as the residents fought for survival. They battled against disease, poor leadership, profit driven agendas, starvation, and their Native American neighbors. Over half the original settlers of the colony lacked the essential skills for life in the wilderness.   The site chosen was easy to defend against the Spanish threat to the south but was located near a swamp without a reliable source of fresh water.  As a result, half of Jamestown's settlers perished in the first year and many others were unable to contribute to the colony, as they were sick with malaria. The average settlers odds of surviving life in Jamestown in the early years was less than 30 percent. And yet, the colony clung to life and somehow managed to continue to exist day after day.

Palisade Fortress Fence

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Eventually the stockholders running the show back in London decided they needed a leader on site to get the colony back on track and Captain John Smith was sent to Virginia as the colony's new drill sergeant.  The Spanish had made themselves the wealthiest empire in the world almost overnight, built on New World riches extracted in Central America. The English were hoping to duplicate if not exceed the successes of the Kingdom of Castile but... not so fast.  The English did not find Native American empires filled with treasure, like their neighbors to the south but that didn't mean they stopped hoping. In the meantime, they put their health and common welfare at tremendous risk by relying heavily on unreliable supply ships from England for the bulk of their essential provisions.  It was a recipe for disaster and John Smith now arrived to get priorities for the colony's survival back in order.

 John Smith Monument / James River

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Smith put the hammer down like dad coming home by surprise to break up the party.  Consider yourself grounded!  Smith had to regain control and he realized that the one item valued more than gold in the colony was food.  Finding wealth would mean nothing if you starved to death.  Captain Smith gathered all the colony's provisions in a storehouse under lock and key and established a policy of... You Don't Work... You Don't Eat.  Everyone had to pitch in, putting in time daily working in the fields and inside the fort walls to help enhance their chances of survival.  They needed to be responsible for their own welfare before they concentrated on personal financial gain.  Soon survival took precedence over profit and the overall health of the colony began to improve.  

Pocahontas Site Statue

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Smith also attempted to improve relations with the local Native Americans, trying to ease tensions, secure foodstuffs, and establish trade relationships with the local tribes to develop.  Along the way, he became ingrained in American folklore when he penned a story, years later, describing his rescue by a young Algonquian girl named Pocahontas.  In a nutshell, he was off exploring when he was captured by a group of Powhattan warriors and was then taken back to the village where he was presented to Chief Powhatan. Smith said he was first greeted warmly and was fed by the tribe but was later dragged to a large rock and surrounded by warriors with battle clubs. Before the Indians could start playing pinata with his head and carry out his death sentence, a young girl emerged from the crowd to lay her head upon Smiths to protect him. The girl was Pocahontas, one of the chief's daughters, and Powhatan was so moved by her selfless act that he sparred Smith's life and even adopted him into the tribe as a son and awarded him chief status.

 The Legend of Pocahontas

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Wow, what a great story! Amazing! But chances are... it never happened.  Smith made a decent living as an author, penning books about his adventures as a world explorer.   Many experts suggest that Smith often took liberties with the facts, often trying to enhance his escapades to improve book sales.  Chances are he never mentioned the incident until it appeared in print ten years later, which makes the accuracy of the account suspicious.   However, as someone once said... "Never let facts get in the way of a good story!"  The legend grew over the years and evolved into a love story played out in colorful animation in Disney's classic film.  The romantic angle is also most likely fiction since Smith was pushing age 30 when he would have met Pocahontas who might have been 12 years old.   You do the math... not bloody likely mate!  By the way, the talking willow tree in Disney's Pocahontas, called Grandma Willow continues to gives me nightmares to the present day!  Scary!  If I were in the woods and some creepy old tree started talking to me I would have grabbed my axe and cut it down!

New Walk Bridge to Site

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Now back to the Jamestown site...  The new visitor's center is located about a quarter of a mile away from the historical location of Jamestown Fort.   This helps preserve the visual history of the site but was done more so to protect the modern building from hurricanes and storm damage that often plague Virginia's coast.  A few years ago a hurricane created storm surge up the James River, flooding the previous visitor's center and destroying a lot of paper records and some fragile artifacts.  Following a nice overview and introduction at the new and improved center, we exited the building and headed out across a scenic walking bridge over the inland marsh.  A few feet below us, a nearly invisible deer jumped through the swamp among the thick reeds.  The bridge was really cool and gave you a good view of the peninsula's interior.  I was told the Jamestown site is extremely hot and humid during the summer months of July but today there was a strong breeze coming off the water, which made our visit refreshing and pleasant.

Jamestown 1907 Church

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The main focal point of the 22.5-acre Jamestown site is the brick church which was actually constructed in 1907.   The modern sanctuary was built to preserve the foundation of the original building built in 1609. It is also connected to the only remaining standing section of the original church, which is the semi collapsed tower.  Nonetheless, the tower remains the oldest standing man-made brick structure in North America.   The site was privately owned in the early part of the 20th century and the river and weather were eating away at Jamestown.  Many thought the location of the original fort was now within the river itself.  Around 1900 a sea wall was built to protect the site from further erosion.  In addition to the church, brick remains of two dozen or so foundations that were built later are found to the east, where the town grew outward away from the fortress walls.   The site lay mostly dormant until a few years ago when an archeologist from the college of William and Mary thought the fort may not be completely lost to the James River.   After all, had anyone really bothered to look?

Jamestown Settlement Ruins

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Dr. William Kelso's hunch was right and remains of the fort's post walls began to be found in 1994. Over the next few years the outline of the entire fort was slowly revealed.   Approximately 90% of the fort was still on land, protected by the sea wall built almost a century earlier.  The work continues today and we witnessed the screening process first hand as college students washed the soil to reveal pottery shards that haven't seen the light of day in over 400 years.   Since the remains of the fort were first discovered, over a million artifacts have been discovered and cataloged.  Many of the most interesting items are on display at a new museum about 100 yards away from the active dig site.  The outline of the original fort and building foundations are shown in the diagram below.

Site Map of Jamestown Fort

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The search continues to unearth more clues of what life was really like in the settlement that started it all.   The archeologist teams are now working inward, away from the palisade perimeter to unearth the remains of the fort's interior buildings.   We had lunch in a little cafe right on the water nearby and the weather continued to cooperate with cool breezes off the river.  We were on a tight schedule but I could have been content, sitting on the open cafe deck, enjoying the river view, and keeping the statue of Captain John Smith company for the rest of the day.

 Fortress Excavation Project

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Next, we were off to see Jamestown again, only this time it would be recreated right before our eyes. About a mile up the river, you don't need to use historical imagination to picture what Jamestown might have looked like.  The colony has been completely reproduced for people to explore.  Stay tuned for the second half of our Jamestown adventure!

Please See My Additional Photographs of Jamestown at...

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrjmartin/sets/72157623176629512/

PLEASE SEE RELATED BLOGS…

Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 1

Teacher's Institute Introduction 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/10/williamsburg-introduction.html

 Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 2
Jamestown Matters – Archeological Dig 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/09/jamestown-matters-part-1.html

Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 3

Jamestown Matters – Jamestown Settlement 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/09/jamestown-matters-part-2.html

 Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 4
Williamsburg / Duke of Gloucester Street 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/11/williamsburg-duke-of-gloucester.html

 Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 5
Williamsburg / Capitol and Gaol 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/11/williamsburg-captitol-gaol.html

Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 6
Williamsburg / Governor’s Palace 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/11/williamsburg-governors-palace.html

Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 7
Williamsburg / Great Hopes Plantation 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/11/williamsburg-great-hopes-plantation.html

Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 8
Williamsburg / Market Square 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/12/williamsburg-market-square.html

Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 9
Yorktown / Surrender Field 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/12/yorktown-surrender-field.html

Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 10
Parting Shots / Photography 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/12/williamsburg-parting-shots.html

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Williamsburg / Introduction

Colonial Williamsburg
Teacher's Institute / Summer 2009
Series Part # 1

 James Moir House

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This summer was one of travel and adventure for me as I ventured out in search of historical places that I always wanted to visit. Despite the fact that I was about to enter into my 20th year of teaching colonial history, I had never been to Colonial Williamsburg. Life happens and I was just never able to get that far away. However, at a previous teacher's institute in Pennsylvania, I made a friend who had been part of a program offered at Colonial Williamsburg on the Triangle of History and he pointed me in the right direction. Every summer the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation offers intense week long summer institutes for elementary and secondary teachers for graduate credit. After a lot of legwork, I was accepted into the program to attended the late June institute for secondary teachers during the summer of 2009.

Rear Vegetable Garden

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Virginia's triangle of history includes Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown with the scheduled program designed to cover all three historic sites. We would be centered in Colonial Williamsburg with all of us staying on site in one of the colonial houses that had been converted into individual hotel facilities. I drove down to the Institute from Lancaster, Pennsylvania and was so proud of myself for finding the state of Virginia on my very first try!  I found my way semi-easily to the Visitor's Center but was unsure of where I was actually supposed to go or who to see.  The center's staff had no idea where I should go to check in and I was sent to several places before we figured it out.  I would later find out that I was the only participant who drove to the institute; everyone else flew in from across the country and were picked up at the airport by institute personnel. No problem, I soon found my way to where I was to check in and was later escorted to my colonial residence where I would stay the coming week.

Our Teacher Institute Group

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I realized something today that I had never really thought about before. I became suddenly aware of the fact that we are historically spoiled living east of the Appalachian Mountains. People from the west don't really have access to colonial history and sites from the American Revolution time period to visit. The program is sensitive to this and as a result, all but one of the other 24 participants in our group were from the west coast. Many teachers came in small groups from the same state, including Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska, and Iowa. Others were from Kentucky and Missouri. My only fellow east coast neighbor was from the extreme western tip of South Carolina. It was interesting to spend the week getting to know people from all over the country.

John Orrell House

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I was dropped off at my new temporary home by a friendly hotel valet and was able to park my car behind the house hidden from view. A lot of care and forethought goes into limiting the sights and sounds of the modern world. The first thing that surprised me was how big Williamsburg was compared to what I was expecting. I had imagined a single street of historic homes but it was a whole community that had hundreds of structures. Some of the buildings are completely authentic and have stood for well over 200 years. Many others are rebuilt on the original foundations, following the close supervision of historical architects. Some of the homes are open to the public for historical tours, others are privately owned or rented out to Williamsburg staff members, and the rest are used as small resident hotel houses like the one where I would be staying. Only 3 of the 26 colonial hotel houses are original buildings and mine (shown above) was one of them.

 Colonial House Hotel Room

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Welcome home... The John Orrell House was built circa 1750 and was once the home of one of the tailors found in town. Williamsburg was well known for the local tailor craftsmen who made a nice living making fine clothing for the gentry class of Virginia. The simple house measured out to a perfect 28 feet square, a perfect cube in fact when you add the second floor. The house has three separate rooms as hotel facilities with a suite on the first floor and two small individual rooms upstairs. The interior of my room is shown above with another unseen twin bed off to the right. My roommate turned out to be a nice guy from Iowa and we joked that were given the upstairs servant's quarters because it was so cramped inside our room. Our neighbor and fellow institute participant downstairs had four full rooms and a queen size bed to herself! Thankfully, the fully restored house was air conditioned, and like many buildings in Williamsburg, the modern equipment was well hidden from view within each structure to keep the historical atmosphere intact.

Rear Lot Garden Plots

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We unpacked and walked through the colonial streets to the Marketplace at the far end of town where we would meet the other members of our group and have dinner together. The Market Place is a small section of tasteful shops and nice restaurants between Colonial Williamsburg and the College of William and Mary. Immediately, I was taken by the beauty of the homes and gardens throughout our long walk to dinner. Everywhere was something of interest to catch your eye and I couldn't wait to explore the town in more detail in the days to come.

Orrell House at Night

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Wow, I'm bushed! A busy first day of driving, unpacking, and walking. I'd better turn in and get some sleep to rest up for our first full day of colonial history! Breakfast is at 7 Am! Sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite!

FYI: Source of Common Sayings...

The phrase Sleep Tight is a colonial saying relating to the fact that beds were supported by a rope netting framework that sometimes needed tightening to improve support of the bedding to help give you a good nights rest.


The phrase Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite is a colonial saying relating to the fact that mattresses were often stuffed with straw and hay, which eventually became home to insects of all kinds that would bite you... letting you know it was time to change out the stuffing!

PLEASE SEE RELATED BLOGS…

Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 1

Teacher's Institute Introduction 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/10/williamsburg-introduction.html

 Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 2
Jamestown Matters – Archeological Dig 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/09/jamestown-matters-part-1.html

Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 3

Jamestown Matters – Jamestown Settlement 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/09/jamestown-matters-part-2.html

 Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 4
Williamsburg / Duke of Gloucester Street 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/11/williamsburg-duke-of-gloucester.html

 Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 5
Williamsburg / Capitol and Gaol 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/11/williamsburg-captitol-gaol.html

Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 6
Williamsburg / Governor’s Palace 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/11/williamsburg-governors-palace.html

Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 7
Williamsburg / Great Hopes Plantation 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/11/williamsburg-great-hopes-plantation.html

Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 8
Williamsburg / Market Square 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/12/williamsburg-market-square.html

Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 9
Yorktown / Surrender Field 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/12/yorktown-surrender-field.html

Colonial Williamsburg / Series Part # 10
Parting Shots / Photography 
http://campmartintravels.blogspot.com/2009/12/williamsburg-parting-shots.html

_______________________________________________________________________

Harrisburg / Geo-Caching Adventure

GEO-CACHING / HARRISBURG

 

In this episode of Camp Martin Travels, my friend and colleague, Ruth Gallagher and I were off to Harrisburg to visit an old friend.  Following our visit, Ruth promised to introduce me to a new high tech method of orienteering. She was introduced to the hobby in college and got hooked... It's got some geography/social studies like elements and she wanted to show me how it works. Forget the map and the old fashioned compass... this is the modern techno geek way to navigate and find your way to hidden check points the world over. Ok, maybe it's a sport for nerds but hey... this is the kind of stuff that made Bill Gates a gazillionare!  Let's play!

 

Map showing cache locations in my hometown

Geocaching is an outdoor activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers (called "geocaches" or "caches") anywhere in the world. A typical cache is a small waterproof container (usually a Tupperware or military ammo box) containing a logbook. Larger containers can also contain items for trading, usually toys or trinkets of little value. Geocaching is most often described as a "game of high-tech hide and seek", sharing many aspects with orienteering, treasure-hunting, and waymarking. Geocaches are currently placed in over 100 countries around the world and are located on all seven continents, including Antarctica.  As of September 20, 2009, there are over 904,000 active geocaches over the world. (Source: Wikipedia)

Ruth found some cache sites in the general vicinity of where we planned to be using the official Geocaching website...

(http://www.geocaching.com) 

We started out with our first target somewhere in a park nearby.  Ruth entered in the latitude and longitude coordinates from the website into the specially designed hand held GPS geocaching device. The GPS device shows a compass on the screen pointing in the direction you should travel. The distance is displayed in miles and counts down, as you get closer.  If the distance increases, you need to backtrack and reroute your path. Sometimes the roads cooperate and sometimes you have to patiently navigate your way around barriers in your way.  When the device starts to count down in feet, you know you are getting close!

Our first site was easy to find but turned out to be our most challenging task.  The cache was hidden somewhere within the chain link fence.  We spent about fifteen minutes scouring the fence and surrounding space unable to locate the cache.  Fortunately there are hints online and help was just a phone call away.  We needed to call Ruth's husband (twice) to look up clues posted on the website to help guide our search.  The clue phrase was fish line. We eventually found the item that was located within the fence post shown next to Ruth.  It was deep inside the post, creatively attached to a three-foot piece of fish line anchored to the top of the fence.  By the way, the word cache is a French word meaning storage or hiding place.

This cache was very small, they vary in size and are described on the website so you know what to expect.  Inside was a small journal where Ruth recorded our find.  Some locations you can drive to, others can involve a challenging hike.  You can determine what you feel up to in advance as each cache description provides insight on what each task involves. You later log your find online so you can track all the caches you have located. Ok, this was really fun and I was already hooked... Let's see what else we can find!

Our next target took us to a small historic cemetery hidden just off the road.  We ran into a young family who were also seeking the same cache.  The site is the New Side Church Yard where local heroes of the French and Indian War, American Revolution, and the War of 1812 were laid to rest.  The church building is long gone and the foundation of the original structure may exist within the wooded area behind the cemetery.  Hundreds of cars drive past this spot every day and most have no idea this historic landmark exists.  The geo cache container has brought hundreds of people to this location to find the hidden ammo box but it has also brought people here who will take the time to examine the grave markers and accompanying monument.  The old cemetery was in excellent shape and showed few signs of neglect.  So far I'm liking this activity more and more with each stop and maybe I'm not too cool to be a geo-nerd after all!  

I was a bystander on this one watching Ruth search through the ivy with the help of a cute little girl who was offering her own little hints.  Ruth found the large cache hidden under a log within a patch of ivy about ten yards behind the cemetery in the woods. With the little girl's help, we didn't have to call / bother Ruth's husband (Command Central) again for a website clue.

Inside the army ammo box were some interesting items.  There were all kinds of items inside including trinket toys for kids, a special traveling horse, and a journal to log your visit.  You never know what you will find.  They are always hidden so people who are not geocachers don't take or move the caches or their contents.  People who are not geocachers are officially known as Muggles.  After learning this, I was just hoping we wouldn't be running into Lord Voldemort, other dark wizards, or rabid hillbillies roaming the woods.  I thought for a few seconds that I heard a banjo playing in the distance but I think it was just my imagination.

The small horse wore a special tag to identify it was being tracked, trying to make its way across the country by ending up in a cache at least once in all 50 states.  So far, about half of the states had been checked off.  You can track the horse's journey on the website. The horse had not been to the state of New York yet and Ruth was soon making a trip to the Big Apple.  She decided to take the horse with her to deposit it in a cache somewhere within the Empire State.  Ruth often looks for caches when she is out and about and even found several while vacationing in Aruba last year. 

After logging in all the necessary information, Ruth carefully refilled the box, sealed it from the elements, and placed it back in it's hiding place for the next person seeking the cache spot. Our next target was not far away but would involve leaving the car for a mile and a half hike through the woods.  We drove to the tree line and spotted an opening that appeared to be a pathway.  We parked the car and proceeded on foot through the opening but we soon ran into a freight train.  Inaccessible railroad tracks cut us off as far as we could see in both directions so we headed back to the car.  Following a few strange looks from local residents cutting their lawns, we were back on the road looking for a safe way across the tracks.  However, after several failed attempts and wrong turns we were lost and decided to reroute to our final cache destination. 

Our final cache was the easiest to find on the campus of Penn State Harrisburg.  The box was directly hidden in the bushes behind the famous lion statue.  This was a popular cache and had a large journal filled with visitors.  This cache box was located right in front of the library and contained clues to other smaller caches found within the building.  It was Saturday and the library was closed so we decided to call it a day and headed for home.

Overall this was a great time and I would like to explore how many cache boxes exist at historic spots in my local area.  It is a fun thing to do to compliment other activities that you normally have to do... like when your wife drags you kicking and screaming to King of Prussia Mall for a full day of shopping... for example.  You could sneak out the side door of Macy's while she is trying on a dress and see what you can find in and around the Valley Forge Battlefield nearby.  You might wind up sleeping on the couch for a week but hey, it might be worth it...

 

The best part about geocaching is that you never have to worry about trying and then failing, to refold an old school map!  The thirty-minute process it usually takes to refold a map has got to be in the top ten list of things that make people look stupid.  I have a theory that this might be why my father always refused to use maps and why we consequently always got lost trying to navigate through Philadelphia on our way to the Jersey Shore.

Apparently the Spring Garden Street exit was not correct. Although, we seemed to always wind up driving on it year after year.  I always wondered how it got its name since there was never anything close to a garden, let alone a blade of grass to be seen... anywhere?  Mapquest was a giant step forward in helping avoid map folding since the map is printed out on regular paper and is disposable... I mean recyclable.  I wonder how far away we are from having a GPS device implanted in our brains so that physical, foldable maps and getting lost will be a thing of the past?

Until then, as Bilbo Baggins once observed... "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." (J.R.R. Tolkien The Lord of the Rings)

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