04/20/2009
During the Civil War, many Confederate agents traveled through Southern
Maryland carrying secret mail and documents between Richmond and points
north as far as Canada. These messages might be left in hollow tree trunks,
under specific rocks, or at certain homes for other agents to find and
deliver. Surratt House was one such hiding place, and often the messages
were in code.
Today, a very popular form of such hide and seek is sweeping the globe.
It’s called “geocaching.” Participating sites or groups
hide “treasure” (caches) somewhere outside and then post GPS
coordinates and an encrypted code to lead “hunters” to the
exact location. Once the cache is found, one signs a log, takes a souvenir
if desired and leaves another in exchange. Upon returning home, the hunter
or team must post their adventure on an online site – without giving away
any clues.
Surratt House Museum (9118 Brandywine Road, Clinton MD 20735) participates
in geocaching by maintaining a treasure site on its grounds. Come visit if
you are already into geocaching, or go online
(
Geocaching) to learn how to
register as a geocacher.
Geocaching at the Surratt House Museum
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