Congrats to Mikiep777 and Colecops on the FTF! This Cache is a small Lock n' Lock hidden just accross the street from where I spent my childhood growing up. Should be a quick and easy find, but it will take a little bit of hiking skills. This is my first cache and i hope you all can find it!
FTF is a $5 gift card to Starbucks. Also there is a Camera in the cache and I would like everyone who finds it to take a picture of you with the cache. I will keep the camera in there until it needs replaced. I would like this just for memories and to see who all finds my cache.
Hammond was established in 1802 and was originally named Nuzum's Mill after Richard Nuzum who settled the area. At the time that Nuzum had bought the land, he had no idea that the area had rich natural resources and over time it would become a rather lucrative, bustling town.
In 1865, Nuzum sold 370 acres of his property, mineral rights included, to James O. Watson. Watson immediately took advantage of what the land had to offer. He built a brick factory and used the clay along the banks of the river to make the bricks. The brick company exchanged hands several times, including through the worst flood the Tygart Valley has ever seen. It never became fully successful until 1899 when the Hammond Fire Brick Company took over. At this point the property was renamed Hammond and had grown to 410 acres. The Hammond Fire Brick company took full advantage of the rich 2' thick clay seam that ran 100' below the coal seam. Both seams of coal and clay were being extracted from the earth to form a sort of co gen operation which made Hammond very successful, very quickly.