I was in this park with my kids and was disappointed that there was no cache here, so I decided to place one myself! I hope you enjoy the puzzle. I aimed for one that will be a stretch but not frustratingly evil. Congrats to jdawg87 for the FtF! ☺️
E Pluribus Unim: "Out of many, one" has been the traditional motto of the United States from its early history (although "In God we Trust" became the official motto in 1965, when Congress passed a law decreeing it). Since its founding, this country has always been a melting pot as it attracted immigrants from many cultures and countries, and brought us all together as one nation, under the same flag, national pride, and pursuit of liberty and justice for all(we won't address whether it actually accomplished liberty and justice for ALL, or just those with wealth and power). The thirteen letters of the motto, like the thirteen stripes in our flag, represented the original 13 colonies. This motto also appears on most US coins, as well as many different official seals and flags.
Speaking of flags, our grand old flag has gone through several iterations since the first design used by the 13 colonies, referred to as the "King's Colors". On June 14th, 1777, the Continental Congress passed the Flag Act, which standardized the 13 stripes and 13 stars of our early flag. Tradition holds that the first flag of this design was hoisted above the Middlebrook Encampment, not far away from here in Bridgewater, NJ.
The beloved story of Betsy Ross designing the first flag is, unfortunately, currently dismissed by historians as apocryphal. It was not even put forth as an idea until nearly a century afterward, during the USA's Centennial Celebration. There is more evidence that the design belonged, in large part, to Francis Hopkinson, a NJ native. Also, a woman by the name of Rebecca Young likely sewed the first flag. Rebecca was the mother of Mary Pickersgill, who sewed the 15 star/15 stripe "Star Spangled Banner", which inspired the national anthem during the Battle of Fort McHenry. Mary made the massive garrison standard with the help of Grace Wisher, a 13 year old African American indentured servant girl.
The current flag is the 27th official design! And there have been numberless unofficial designs along the way as well. New flag designs were always approved on July 4th, but of course the year of approval changed for each one. Here are a few previous designs that will help you solve this puzzle for the coordinates to the geocache!
Assume N40 52. ABC W74 08.DEF
A 
B 
C 
D 
E 
F 