Fort Monroe - Virtual Reward Virtual Cache
Fort Monroe - Virtual Reward
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The first virtual cache published in Hampton Roads in over a decade! This multi-virtual cache will take you to a few historic spots around Fort Monroe. Park grounds are open from 5am - midnight daily, though I do not recommend doing this cache after dark (won't be able to see as much).
The above coordinates are for parking for stages 1-3. The sites you are required to visit are given in the additional waypoints.
Fort Monroe is a former military installation based in Hampton, VA. Named in honor of former U.S. President James Monroe, Fort Monroe along with Fort Wool guarded the navigation channel between the Chesapeake Bay and Hampton Roads. The Fort itself was completed in 1834 and saw much of it's action during the U.S. Civil War. While most of Virginia became part of the Confederacy, Fort Monroe was actually controlled by the Union. The Union used Fort Monroe as a strategic point where they could launch several sea and land expeditions from there, including the battles of Sewall's Point and Big Bethel. In 1861, Major General Benjamin Butler made the "Contraband Decision", also known as the "Fort Monroe Decision", where any escaped slaves that reached Fort Monroe would be freed. This resulted in Fort Monroe being called the "Freedom Fortress". After the war, Fort Monroe was home to the Coastal Artillary School and the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command before being decommissioned in 2011.
To claim this virtual, you must answer/complete following:
1. Outside the Casemate Museum, you should find a pile of cannon balls. How many cannon balls are along the perimeter of the bottom layer?
2. Go to the Pet Cemetery on top of the hill and find Lassie's Grave. How old was Lassie when she died?
3. Find the Lincoln Gun. What is the weight of the Lincoln Gun in pounds? (Hint: the answer is not on the sign)
4. Exit the fort and head to the parking coordinates for stages 4-7. Nearby you should see a sign titled "First Africans in Virginia". What was the name of the first African child known to have been born in Virginia?
5. Find the sign at the "Old Point Comfort Lighthouse". The Old Point Comfort Lighthouse was used as a lookout during the War of 1812 by a _________ invasion force.
6. Here you can see Fort Wool off in the distance. Post a picture of yourself (selfies acceptable) on the pier with Fort Wool in the background, preferably holding a geocaching related object (could be your GPS or simply a pen if your phone is your GPS/camera). The guidelines state that you do not have to show your face if you don't want to.
Email or message me the answers to questions 1-5. You can post the picture for #6 with your found it log or email it to me.
There is no need to wait for me to respond before logging the find. However, if you decide to log first, you are expected to send me your answers within 24 hours. If I do not receive your answers within that time frame, I will send you a message. Failure to respond to that message with the required answers will result in your found it log being deleted. Additionally, please do not post your answers in your log, even if encrypted. Logs containing answers will be deleted instantly.
Additional photos are welcome and encouraged! Just be sure they don't reveal any of the answers to the above questions. Photos that reveal answers will be removed.
Some optional locations that might be worth visiting are included as "reference points" in the additional waypoints. If you come across another spot that might be worth visiting around the fort, feel free to message me the coordinate and I'll add it to the additional waypoints.
Many thanks to X11fitter for his assistance in the creation of this virtual.
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.
Permission for this Virtual Geocache has been granted by Ranger Aaron Firth and communications director Phyllis Terrell. Thank you for supporting virtual geocaching!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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