The Maryland Geocaching Society welcomes you to the 2017 edition of Cache Across Maryland! This is one of eleven geocaches placed throughout the ‘Old Line State’ in locations specifically chosen to showcase its diverse beauty. From the mountains of Western Maryland to the wetlands of the Eastern Shore, CAM 2017 will demonstrate that Maryland truly is ‘America in Miniature’.
Each Cache Across Maryland 2017 geocache contains a code which you will use to determine the location of the CAM 2017 Picnic to be held on May 6th. The code can be found on the inside of the cache container and on the inside front cover of the logbook. Don't forget to record this code! Any geocacher who has completed TEN of the eleven CAM 2017 geocaches and attends the CAM Picnic on May 6th will receive a Certificate of Completion and a CAM 2017 Geocoin. We hope you enjoy a very special CAM 2017!
Welcome to Sykesville
Sykesville is a town located in Carroll County and Howard County, Maryland. The land on which Sykesville sits was originally part of the 3,000-acre Springfield Estate owned by wealthy Baltimore shipbuilder William Patterson. In 1803, Patterson's daughter Elizabeth married Napoléon Bonaparte's younger brother Jérôme, but when she arrived in Europe as Jérôme's bride, Napoleon refused the marriage of the two and would not allow Elizabeth to set foot on France's soil. He was determined that Jérôme marry into royalty, and sent Elizabeth back home. Denied by Napoleon, she was never able to see her husband again, leaving her to raise their son alone in the United States. Upon the death of William in 1824, his son George Patterson inherited the estate. In 1825, George Patterson sold 1,000 acres of Springfield Estate to his friend and business associate, James Sykes.
A tract of land on the Howard County side of the Patapsco River contained an old saw and grist mill. In 1830 Sykes replaced it with a newer mill and constructed a five-story stone hotel to take care of railroad personnel and the tourist trade. In 1831, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad extended its main line to ‘Horse Train Stop’, since Sykesville had yet to be named. Other businesses moved into the area, including two general stores, new mills, churches and a post office. In 1832, the town managed to gain control of a barn across the Patapsco River, the dividing line between Carroll and Howard counties, but the citizens were forced to return the barn under threat of federal troops.
Much of the town was destroyed by a flood in 1868, ending a water rights dispute between the Sykesville Mill and the Elba Furnace when both were damaged. The town was rebuilt on the Carroll County side of the river. The town was incorporated in 1904.
The Geocache
This geocache is not located at the listed coordinates. This is a Wherigo walking tour of Sykesville, voted ‘The Coolest Small Town in America’ by a prominent travel website in 2016.
In order to find this cache, you must use a device capable of playing a Wherigo cartridge (most smartphones and a few GPSr models). You must download the cartridge from wherigo.com and load it onto your device. Smartphones require an app to run the cartridge. To learn how to run a Wherigo on your device, and to find out which devices are compatible, visit this link: http://www.wherigo.com/faq.aspx
The Wherigo cartridge can be downloaded by following this link:
http://www.wherigo.com/cartridge/download.aspx?CGUID=d5306364-8de8-4689-a6db-96bc4852f598 (https://goo.gl/oHo9pQ)
This geocache should only be sought during daylight hours. You will be crossing streets and live railroad tracks, so please be careful, and keep a close eye on children and pets.
The MGS extends its thanks to the Town of Sykesville for permitting and approving this cache placement.
