"Jewel of the Canal"
Welcome to the The Mustill Store! This restored building provides a "living diorama" of life and commerce in the canal era, there are excellent interpretive displays and models inside. Try to schedule your visit on a weekend when the store is open for business! Mustill Store Hours and Info, click here!
Also at this Lock is the Mustill family house. These canal-era buildings are believed to have been built in the 1850s, the exact date is unknown. Three generations of Mustills serviced canal users until the late 1880s. The family's success and social popularity made this a special place to be. Historic photographs and primary sources show the store to have been a landmark stopping-place and watering hole for canallers over 125 years ago. Even today, you can buy a drink and a snack here from the volunteers.
"When I was a youngster and the canal was booming, my father sold more groceries at Lock 15 than any other grocer in all of Akron. From 50-75 boats would pass every day and in the coming and going they always stocked up at the old lock." - Ed Mustill,1928
This area is historically significant in that it is an intact geographic unit of residence, store and canal. Something not found anywhere else on the Ohio & Erie Canal corridor that runs from Cleveland to south of Akron.
For more info, history, and pictures read this excellent article..From the University of Akron!
Back to what brought you here, how to find the cache! The puzzle is simply addition and subtraction, hopefully you paid attention in 2nd grade!.
The listed coords that I give you take you into the park and to the spot where you need to find a 3 inch diameter brass disk. This disk has ALL the information needed to figure out the final cache coords. Here is a picture of the disk you seek, minus the numbers. I smudged out the info you need.
- The bottom line on the disk has a five digit number: XXX.XX
- Seperate and ADD each digit together. Example: X + X + X + X + X = AA
- Those five digits will give you: AA
- Take AA and double it. Example: 20 would become 40
- SUBTRACT the doubled AA from the listed North coord minutes. Example: 41.10.500 - 40 = 41.10.460
- That gives you the final North coords
- For the final West coords, look at the disk to see what Lock you are at.
- ADD those two digits seperately. Example: Lock 11 becomes 1 + 1 = B
- Those two digits will give you: B
- Take B and ADD it to AA. AA + B = CC
- That will give you CC
- SUBTRACT CC from the listed West coord minutes. Example: 81.32.600 - 50 = 81.32.550
- That gives you the final West coords
- These coords DO NOT change N 41°05.--- W 081°31.---
That's it! Hopefully I explained it well enough for you. The first couple of finders, please let me know if there are any problems with the math.
Working the puzzle of numbers to get the final coords is easy. Finding the cache may be tricky, I found a really discrete spot to put it.
For a long time, I’ve tried to make this a virtual. But kept getting shot down, not unique enough. With the recent decision by groundspeak to permanently put a moratorium on virtuals, I accept defeat. I'm resigned to make this wonderfully historic area a puzzle cache. Enjoy!
Good luck, bring a pen, and Cache on! This is the hiking viking’s 37th cache in the greater Akron area.