Welcome to the 2019 Edition of Cache Across Maryland, hosted by the Maryland Geocaching Society. This is one of ten geocaches placed throughout the "Old Line State" in locations chosen to showcase Maryland's diverse beauty, history and terrain. From the mountains of Western Maryland to the Atlantic Ocean, Cache Across Maryland 2019 will again demonstrate that Maryland truly is “America in Miniature”.
Each of the ten geocaches contains a code which you will use to determine the location of the CAM 2019 Picnic to be held on May 4th, 2019. 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 all TEN of the CAM geocaches and attends the CAM Picnic on May 4th will receive a Certificate of Completion and a Cache Across Maryland 2019 commemorative geocoin in antique copper. We hope you enjoy CAM 2019!
Steppingstone Farm Museum
"The Steppingstone Museum provides a necessary look into the past. It was founded that we shall remember where we came from that we shall be able to look intelligently into the future. It is dedicated to the men and women of the past century in this community who found that labor was honorable and satisfying to the soul; who found that craftsmanship, excellently performed, is the essence of art." -J. Edmund Bull, Founder
In the early 1960's J. Edmund Bull converted his tool collection into a museum at his home in Dublin that he named Steppingstone. As people volunteered to demonstrate and describe the tools in his vast collection to the public, the Steppingstone Association was formed. In 1968 the entire J. Edmund Bull collection, numbering approximately 7,000 tools, was given to the Museum Trust of Harford County, Maryland, Incorporated. The Steppingstone Association continued to operate at Mr. Bull's farm until it moved to the Land of Promise Farm, a tenant of Susquehanna State Park, in 1978 after Mr. Bull's death in 1976.
Today the Steppingstone Museum sits on 23 acres of land that made up the Land of Promise Farm, founded in 1771. This was once part of a larger 2,000 acre tract of land dating back to the late 1600's. Over time, different pieces of the 2,000 acres were sold to various parties. J. Gilman D'Arcy Paul owned the property from the late 1930's to the late 1950's. Paul was a trustee of the Johns Hopkins University, Peabody Institute, the Peale Museum, and the Baltimore Musem of Art, as well as an authority on Maryland history and architecture. He was an advocate for the preservation of downtown Baltimore, and the Mt. Vernon neighborhood. Paul was also interested in the preservation of the environment as in 1958 he donated 300 acres of land to Maryland, including the 23 acre Land of Promise Farm, that would become Susquehanna State Park.
The Steppingstone Museum has been a privately run tenant of Susquehanna State Park since the origin of the park. Of the many trails in the park, the Land of Promise Trail, named for the original property, is a 1.5 mile trail that runs past the Steppingstone property to the west.
Today the Steppingstone Museum preserves and displays the working technology of the 1870's through the 1920's in a variety of working buildings. Some of the highlights of the property include:
The Foard Blacksmith Shop was a working blacksmith and farrier shop for 97 years. After the death of the last blacksmith in the Foard family, the family donated the entire shop and contents to Steppingstone and in 1983 it was relocated to the museum property. Lucky visitors may find the shop open and a demonstration in progress.
The cannery is a newly constructed building displaying the process and artifacts of commercial tomato canning, a major industry in Harford County until the 1990's when the last of the canneries closed. Inside, a complete cannery operation is staged and there are several informative displays.
The woodworking shop has the largest display of tools dating back to the 1870's. On days the museum buildings are open there are demonstrations of both hand and (people) powered tools.
Other buildings include the original farmhouse, carriage house, wheelwright shop, corn crib, and machine shop.
During the museum operating season, visitors can visit the chicken coop and feed the chickens treats from the feeder. After the museum opens, the barnyard is scheduled to house 2 Leicester Longwool sheep named Haezel and Lustre, and a Cashmere goat named Neptune, all belonging to a local 4-H student. Please only feed the animals grass - they are on a special diet. Honeybee hives are located along the edge of the back field - please visit with caution and respect for the bees. The Susquehanna Beekeepers Association cares for the hives as well as offering programs and demonstrations.
Park Regulations/Information:
- Grounds are open daily, roughly 9am to sunset (no fees except during special events). See the museum's website for event schedules.
- Museum buildings are open Sundays, 1pm-5pm, April through October (fee by donation @ Museum Mercantile Gift Shop except during Special Events - see the museum's website for event schedules.
- Pets are allowed on the grounds. All animals must be leashed; clean up after your pets.
- Service animals only are allowed inside the museum buildings.
- No climbing or sitting on stone walls and trees.
- No alcoholic beverages.
The Geocache
This geocache is NOT located at the listed coordinates. This is a field puzzle.
Start at the posted coordinates (the parking lot) and follow the paved path along the museum buildings where you will find answers for the following questions. Carefully read everything you need to visit before you begin. The final cache IS located on the grounds of the Steppingstone Museum.
1.Due to the the occasional change in number of pieces of farm equipment, I have removed this task. If you are curious it was used in the calculation of B. The Farm equipment is pretty cool to look at while there. While at posted coordinates, count the number of pieces of farm equipment in the parking lot and ADD 3. You will need this number later.
2. Visit the Blacksmith shop - N39 36.108 W076 08.356
Count ALL the windows (there is one case of a 'double horizontal window', count as 1). From this total, subtract 5. The second digit of your answer = A.
3. Visit the Corn Crib - N39 36.107 W076 08.273
(Number of pylons under the corn crib) minus 8 = B.
4. Visit the Farmhouse - N39 36.107 W076 08.285
Find the stone post near the main path. There is a man's name and year carved into the stone. (number of letters in the first name) plus (the third number in the year) = C.
5. Visit the Wheelwright Shop - N39 36.122 W076 08.267
Between the Wheelwright Shop and the pavilion you will find a sundial and a gazebo. (number of planter beds around the sundial) minus (number of letters in the nickname of the person the gazebo is dedicated to) = D.
6. Visit the working oven next to the Farmhouse - N39 36.134 W076 08.287
Many bricks have a word stamped on them. The number of letters in that name divided by 2 = E.
7. Visit the Cannery - N39 36.120 W076 08.149
Behind the Cannery are 2 pressure tanks. The number of letters in the city where the tanks were manufactured = F.
Checksum: A+B+C+D+E+F = 27.
Final coordinates are: N39 36.ABC W076 08.DEF
Note: If the area of the final is occupied, please come back at another time.
As with any outdoor activity, geocaching has potential risks. It is your responsibility to determine those risks and make your own choices in pursuing a geocache. If at any time you are injured or need emergency assistance, dial 911.
