Just Kidding Traditional Geocache
Old Bet: Archiving this one to make room for the Taconic Regional Summer Geocaching Challenge. Watch for that park series toward the end of May.
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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An easy, kid-friendly cache hidden off the North Lawn behind the main house at the John Jay Homestead State Historic Site. The house was the retirement home of Founding Father John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States.
If you are visiting with youngsters in tow, be sure to allow time to check out the children's "discovery centers" in several of the historic buildings. Although there is a fee to tour the house, the discovery centers are free, as are the interactive exhibits in the Carriage Barn Visitors Center. The discovery centers are open seasonally, generally May - October.
The cache itself should be fine for all but the youngest seekers. The hide is a little more than one-tenth of a mile from the visitor parking lot (coordinates below). The terrain rating (1 1/2) reflects the fact that the walk will take you uphill over a grassy slope without sidewalks or pathways, so the cache is not suited to wheelchairs or other wheeled vehicles, such as strollers. Be alert for slippery footings after wet weather.
Six generations of John Jay’s family made their home in Bedford. The search for this cache will bring you to two features built for the younger members of the family: a one-room schoolhouse constructed in 1826, and a cozy playhouse added to the grounds in 1925. Both buildings host discovery centers. There also are informational signs explaining the history of the buildings.
In 1812, John Jay’s younger son, William, moved into the house to help his father run the family's commercial farm. William and his wife raised five children in the main house. John Jay had the schoolhouse built and hired a teacher to instruct William’s children and perhaps the children of some of the household servants. The playhouse was built during the time when the house and farm were owned by John Jay’s great-great granddaughter, Eleanor Jay Iselin. The Iselins raised three children on the property.
After Eleanor’s death in 1953, the house and 30 surrounding acres were sold to Westchester County, which transferred title to the state of New York. The state later acquired an additional 32 acres. (At its largest, John Jay’s farm occupied 740 acres.) Much of the main house, parts of which date back to 1787, has been restored to its early 19th Century appearance. The restored period rooms feature many items that belonged to the Jays, along with antiques and and some reproductions that help show what life was like for a gentleman farmer and his family in the opening decades of the 19th Century.
The grounds are open during daylight hours. There is no charge for parking or to walk the grounds -- or to hunt this cache. Many of the original farm buildings remain, and informational signs identify most of the structures.
The main house may be visited only by a guided tours. Check the Website for hours and fees.
The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has issued permit JJ17-001 for this cache.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Trg gb gur ebbg bs gur ceboyrz.