A DAY IN THE LIFE: Come letterboxing with us . . .

We have had so much fun letterboxing this summer. I really think it is the perfect family activity - free, fun, and educational. If you are not sure what letterboxing is, I talk about it here and here.

This past Friday my friend Irene planned our excursion up in Warrenton, VA. The local library provided clues to some boxes they had hid.

Our first stop was the Old Jail. Here is the clue we were given:

Commit a crime? Now do some time visiting this ‘old’ place
Behind the bars you may hear cars while climbing a scary staircase
Built in 1808 to house the inmate, now only memories dwell
But if walls could talk of times gone by, oh the stories they’d tell.
Usually open from 10 to 4 except for the first in the week
Within the walls you should find the treasure of which you seek
Through the front door you are greeted then to the right you will see
A room full of war memorabilia used to help keep men free
If you go straight through the courtyard, you’ll enter the part that is ‘new’
You are close to the prize now so pay attention to the next clue
Up a steep ladder, like that of a ship is the maximum security cell
Behind the door, in a cage, you’ll bid your journey a fond farewell!

We started at the Old Jail in Warrenton which is 200 years old. Yes, Spencer is not happy his picture is being taken. And yes, Ella is wearing two different colored shoes. According to her, it makes her look "happy." I brought both matching shoes in the car in case she changed her mind, but she was happy and I didn't feel like pushing the matching thing.

Irene read the clue and we headed into the jail. We stopped in the museum where they had a lot of fascinating articles (including a Confederate soldiers uniform) - Spencer was drawn to looking at the guns. The kids got to see the old kitchen and try out some of the "appliances" from 200 years ago.

Here are some pictures of the jail itself:

After climbing a really steep staircase into the maximum security area, the kids found the letterbox behind the door. How neat to think that most people touring the prison have no idea what is hidden there.

Stamping the books:

After the jail we followed another set of clues:

Built to house books in ’23, a gift for the town, plus you and me
The lower level the Red Cross did rent, while above hundreds of books were lent
Expanded for children in ’65, this endeavor continued to thrive
A fire marred a painting found there, a dark stain remains just under his hair
A building of history with a rich past, its’ love of reading continues to last
Today books still can be found in ‘the Cellar’ down under the ground.
Look all around you, pay attention and open your eyes
If you spy the numbers 1-9-2-3, you are very close to your prize
Half a brick circle lies on one side, the second half on the other
One lays in sun the other in shade, the opposite of its brother
Look to the right, don't step on plants and find what you see in the 'well'
Take out the box to finish your task, keep quiet and do not tell.

The kids had fun running around the building to find the numbers and then figuring out which 'well' it was hidden in :

Our final letterboxing stop was the Warrenton Cemetery. This was the hardest one for us to find. Here is the clue we were given:
Gray stones mark a pit of bones, ghosts may offer up some groans
Some reside since years gone by, some new space do occupy
All were once alive and well, all have stories they can tell
Don’t be scared just have a look and add this place to your logbook.
See some stones buffed to a gloss; keep your eye pealed for the Sheppard cross
Lizzie and Thomas Bruce are near, in 1933 they both came here
Nearby are two markers old, white stone, smooth and cold
So old dates can’t be read, but shade from a tree bathes their head
Amanda Lunceford is the name, the box lies near for you to claim.

We started to look around the cemetery and quickly realized that this was going to be a lot more difficult than the past clues. We decided to head to the main entrance and start from there. In the middle of the cemetery, we spotted this:

It is a monument to the Confederate Soldiers. I always forget that I live in the South - so it was kind of shocking. Apparently, 600 Confederate soldiers are buried here who died in the 1st and 2nd battle of Manassas. Their graves used to be marked by wood, but in 1863 the Union soldiers pulled up the markers and used them as firewood. The soldiers remained buried in anonymity until 1982 when a man started searching for the gravesite of his Confederate ancestor. He found missing records from Warrenton field hospitals that were misfiled in the National Archives and was able to identify 520 of the soldiers buried here. Their names are inscribed on a wall surrounding the monument.

We also saw the gravestone of John Singleton Mosby (complete with a Confederate flag placed on top). He was known as the "Gray Ghost" of the Confederacy.

I asked Josh and Ella to smile and got these super cheesy grins - I had to ask them to please STOP smiling :)

We finally gave up looking for the letterbox and decided to come back later. While walking to the car, I happened to notice a gravestone with the name on it that we were looking for. We were so happy to spot it:

One of the clues said to look for a "Shepard's cross." Irene and I took that to mean an actual Shepherd's cross but it turned out to be a cross with the name "Shepard" on it: