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Nicholas Gibbs Homestead Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

The Seanachai: While we feel that Geocaching.com should hold the location for you for a reasonable amount of time, we cannot do so indefinitely. In light of the lack of communication regarding this cache it has been archived to free up the area for new placements. If you haven’t done so already, please pick up this cache or any remaining bits as soon as possible. Please note that geocaches archived by a reviewer or Geocaching HQ for lack of maintenance are not eligible for unarchival.

I want to thank you for the time that you have taken to contribute in the past and I look forward to your continued contributions to the sport of Geocaching.

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Hidden : 7/6/2008
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:


This is the third of a series of historic site caches we have placed along Emory Road.

The Historical Marker

Nicholas Gibbs was born in 1733, in Germany, and is believed to be descended from English people who fled to Germany to escape political and religious problems. He came to America about 1749, eventually living in Orange County, NC, where his 11 children were born. He served in the French and Indian War, and then in the American Revolution. In 1792, he built a homestead on 450 acres, along Emery Road (today spelled Emory Road). He died there in 1817 (Groover, 2003; RootsWeb, n.d.

The Nicholas Gibbs Homestead

The house remained in the Gibbs family, passing through five generations, until 1971. It passed from Nicholas Gibbs to Daniel Gibbs, then Rufus Gibbs, John Gibbs, and Ethel Gibbs Brown, being operated as a rental home between 1913 and when it was sold. The home passed between several non-Gibbs individuals, until, in 1986, it was purchased by the Nicholas Gibbs Historical Society (http://www.nghsoftn.org/). Descendents of Nicholas Gibbs are eligible for membership in the society, and must pay dues of $20 per year. The home now is on the National Historic Register.

An extensive, multi-year archaeological research project at the Gibbs homestead began in 1987, led by Charles Faulkner, of the University of Tennessee (Groover, 2003, Groover, n.d.). This was encouraged by Joe Longmire, a Gibbs descendent and current president of the Society. Several members of the Society give free tours of the homestead, and their phone numbers are posted in the window of the house. However, we feel sure some advance notice would be appreciated if you want a tour, so, with permission, here are the names and numbers (all 865 area code) on the notice: Sonja Collins, 687-1028; Fern Whited 687-687-0858; Lynne Hutton, 687-4181; Joe Longmire, 687-0314; Leonard Wolfenbarger, 922-8836.

The cache is a large lock and lock container, located a short distance down the driveway from the road. We advise that you go ahead and drive down the driveway and turn around by the house, rather than try to back out onto Emory Road. Please get this cache during daylight hours.

There also is a letter box hidden at this location. Do not mistake the letter box for the geocache. Do not take the rubber stamp out of the letterbox.

References:

RootsWeb (n.d.). Descendents of Nicholas Gibbs 1733 – 1817. Retrieved 7/6/2008 from http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~jeffcotham/Nicholas%20Gibbs/pafn01.htm.

Groover, M.D. (2003). An archaeological study of rural capitalism and material life: The Gibbs farmstead in southern Appalachia, 1790-1920. New Your: Springer Publishing.

Groover, M.D. (n.d.). The Nicholas Gibbs Farmstead, Knox County, East Tennessee. Retrieved 7/6/2008 from http://mdgroover.iweb.bsu.edu/GPR%20Gibbs.htm.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Guvf pbhyq unir orra tebjvat urer qhevat Avpubynf’ yvsrgvzr

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)