During the first challenge along the Star-Spangled Banner GeoTrail, over 400 first edition SSB geocoins were awarded. We would like to thank everyone who participated in the Star-Spangled Banner GeoTour. We are currently out of geocoins but stay tuned for other opportunities along the Star-Spangled Banner GeoTour! A new challenge with a new prize will be ready in 2015.
Come on a journey to remember and commemorate the dramatic chain of events, people and places that led to the birth of our National anthem.
The story of the Star-Spangled Banner was shaped by the events of the Chesapeake Campaign during the War of 1812. From February 1813 until February 1815, the Chesapeake Bay was the center of a fierce struggle between the British and Americans. Places and landscapes still exist today that provide a touchstone to the past. The trail traces events and related sites that figured prominently in the Chesapeake Campaign of the War of 1812 that have national significance, physical integrity, and the potential for contemporary recreation and interpretation.
The Star-Spangled Banner (SSB) Geotrail launched February 27, 2010 with over 30 caches within Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. A trackable geo coin will be awarded to the first 400 geocachers, while supplies last, for locating at least 20 SSB caches. To be eligible for the coin, geocachers must download a passport from either the SSB Geotrail or Maryland Geocaching Society website. Geocachers must find and log at least 20 SSB finds, record the code word from each cache on their passport and post a picture of themselve at each cache location. After discovering the 20 required caches, geocachers may have their passports validated in person or via mail at the Friends of Chesapeake Gateways office located at 410 Severn Ave, Suite 314, Annapolis, MD 21403. Please refer to the passport for complete validation instructions.
Participating in the SSB geotrail is fun and we hope that many people join in. However, it is not a requirement for logging your find on this cache once you find the container.
Situated at the mouth of the great Susquehanna, where the river meets the tidal flow of the Chesapeake Bay, Concord Point Lighthouse protected the large volume of commercial river traffic from the shoals and currents of the Susquehanna Flats for close to 125 years, from its construction in 1827 until its decommissioning in 1975. The first keeper of the lighthouse was John O'Neill, appointed largely in recognition of his brave actions during the War of 1812. Born in Ireland on November 23, 1768, O’Neil came to America at the age of eighteen. He was a gunsmith and served in the militia under General Henry “Lighthorse Harry” Lee during the Whisky Rebellion in 1794. Lieutenant O'Neill also served in the Navy in 1798 against the French.
On the morning of May 3, 1813, British forces under Admiral George Cockburn attacked Havre de Grace, retaliating for the town’s defiant cannon fire and running up of its colors. A member of the local militia, Lt. O’Neill’s mission that day was to hold a small parapet of three cannons named Potato Battery. The heavy British fire caused many of his fellow soldiers to abandon their posts, but O’Neill stood fast, taking charge of one of the cannons himself. Later he said, “The grape shot flew thick about me. I loaded the gun [cannon] myself without anyone to serve the vent, which, you know is very dangerous, and when I fired her, she recoiled and ran over my thigh.” This injury forced O’Neill to leave his position and flee into town.
British forces soon landed at Concord Point, eventually capturing O'Neill who had continued to resist the invasion with musket fire. Hanging surely awaited, but as story has it, his teenage daughter, Matilda, rowed out to Admiral Cockburn’s ship to seek mercy. So impressed was the Admiral with the young girl’s courage, that he released O’Neill and gave Matilda a gold snuff box, which is housed today at the Maryland Historical Society. In time, O'Neill came to be known as the "hero of Havre de Grace." He received a ceremonial sword from the citizens of Philadelphia in honor of his heroism, inscribed with the words "PRESENTED TO THE GALLANT JOHN O'NEIL FOR HIS VALOR AT HAVRE DE GRACE, BY PHILADELPHIA-1813." The Maryland Historical Trust also houses the sword it its collections. It is worth noting that historians do not agree on either O’Neill’s role during the conflict or on the actions or his daughter. Concord Point is the second oldest lighthouse in Maryland and the Northern-most lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay. The nearby Keeper’s Dwelling dates from 1827 as well. Fully restored, both buildings are open to the public on weekends from April to October. The sites offer wonderful views of the scenic upper Bay, and lie within a designated historic district, adjacent to the Havre de Grace River promenade.
Be sure to visit the Concord Point Lighthouse website for complete details: www.concordpointlighthouse.org.
At Stage 1 (post coordinates above) of this multi-cache, you will find a sign. Find the year that the Lighthouse was erected at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and subtract 1375 to get ABC which is the latitude to be inserted into N39 32.ABC.
Find the last year that the O'Neill family manned the Lighthouse and subtract 1787 to get DEF which is the longitude to be inserted into W076 05.DEF
Thanks to BasketLadyBee and Umpire35 for helping with this hide and the Maryland Geocaching Society for assisting with this project!