Woodsboro Gold (multi-cache)
GC Code: GC6QARA
Where it's located: Woodsboro (Frederick County)
Favorite Points: 4
Description:
NOTE: You will need to download a PDF file of the clues in order to complete this cache.
A Historical Fiction Story
The year is 1760 and the land that is now Woodsboro was still largely uninhabited and was nothing more than a worn, dusty trail where Main Street runs now. Not far from the center of town, there was a man wandering through the thick brush on the hills to the East. The heat of the summer was unbearable, so he stopped and sat on an exposed rock to catch his breath. He sipped from his trusty canteen pouch and brushed the beads of sweat from his brow with a dirty old hat, setting it down beside him. When he went back to pick it up, a sparkle caught his eye. It was just a small shine, but it was enough to have a closer look. He slowly moved his hat across the rock to reveal a growing vein of yellow metal: Gold! This man could hardly contain his excitement, but his enthusiasm quickly died and was replaced with concern. He was not equipped to start a mining operation, nor did he want a land rush spoiling the potential profits and the picture-perfect land on which he stood. This man decided then and there that he wouldn’t tell anyone about his discovery; he would try and hide it. He quickly took the small rock he was sitting on and rolled it over, concealing the vein of precious metal.
He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret forever, but maybe he could push back the inevitable a little longer, giving him more time to extract the gold. He contacted his good friend Joseph Wood, the nearby land owner for advice. With the help of Wood, the discovery was accredited as a failed copper excavation operation known as Fountain Mine. The gold was quickly removed before anyone else could stumble upon it and put in the safe possession of Wood. Unknown to history, it is with his share of the gold that in 1786 Col. Joseph Wood founded Woods Berry Town (later changed to Woodsborough and then Woodsboro). A Colonel in the American Revolutionary War, Joseph Wood was a soldier and an active participant in government. He once loaned the Continental Congress $8000 in silver, a handsome sum back then. This got the attention and respect of the founding fathers, specifically the newly elected first president, George Washington.
In 1791, his second year of his presidency, George Washington traveled several times from Virginia to Lancaster and Philadelphia. He would travel along the road that is now Md. 194 stating that the paths east were too marshy. Staying more than once in Woodsboro, twice at the Slagle’s Inn, Cookerly’s Tavern in Midway, and Adam Good Tavern in Taneytown. It was during one of these visits that he met with Joseph Wood. One can imagine the two sitting down to dinner and wine in pleasant conversation. It is unknown exactly what was discussed but following Washington’s visits, Joseph Wood’s demeanor changed. He became more secluded and some say secretive. He would hold small meetings with a select few of the town’s residents.
It has only recently been uncovered in a secret letter from Col. Joseph Wood to George Washington the reason for his privacy. It illustrates a strategy implemented by Washington to hold and maintain small sums of wealth among loyal patriots across the newly formed country. It was Washington’s fear that British military forces would be a return to attempt to reclaim their territories. It would be the responsibility of each local entrusted patriot to hide and protect their gold and silver stockpile in the event of British resurgence. Over the many years since then, the loyal citizens of Woodsboro have protected this wealth. Each passing generation has contributed to its protection and safety.
I recently became the sole individual entrusted to guard Col. Joseph Wood’s original stash. I invite you, loyal patriots to take and contribute to this particular local treasure, but only if you are worthy. In this post you will find the clues passed down from former guards to the hidden location of the stockpile of gold.
Finder logs:
Up & Down: Col Joseph Wood stockpile of gold is safe and secure. Our journey to find the Woodsboro Gold was educational and most of all fun. The Multi cache had a blend of puzzle solving which made it all the more fun. We are new at puzzle solving therefore it gave us a challenge. Near the end we had to call the CO for clarification of the cache notes. Cache notes were correct....we just needed a little more understanding of puzzle solving. We give a big thank you to RockReader for this Multi cache hunt.
C2D2H4: Started this one yesterday...got to GZ and found the signs quickly. No one paid any attention to us as we solved the puzzle. Awesome....we knew right where the next stage was...Dad in our group used to live right across the street from this location. We were able to make quick work of this puzzle. Took us a minute to think of where the next location was. Upon arriving, made super fast work of this one....off to the next. Found the next puzzle, but could not figure it out. Decided to call it a night and go make dinner. Tried to figure out the puzzle, the next day, but got stuck. Got a nudge from the CO and got on the right track. Things finally started to fall into place. Went out this afternoon and thought we knew where we were going and did not pay attention to the trailhead. Big mistake!!! Took way longer than it should have, but got a great workout and saw a deer on a different trail. Finally made out way to the right trail and got to GZ. Cache is in great shape and all the gold is still there. Thank you RockReader for placing this cache and making it one of our favorites!!
Bisquick: Awesome, awesome, awesome
Humphr1d: Woohoo - what a wonderful cache! I had heard about this cache from Up & Down at an event a couple of weeks ago. I knew Bisquick would enjoy this cache so I brought her along to dive into this adventure. Boy am I glad I had teamwork on this one! Between the two of us we made relatively quick work of the puzzles, but finding the right trail for the final was another story. We had a blast! What a fantastically designed cache! Definitely earns a favorite point!
