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Kind Hearted Woman LbNA #16048

Owner:'DDD'
Plant date:Jun 22, 2005
Location:
City:Wolfeboro
County:Carroll
State:New Hampshire
Boxes:1
Found by: Jane of the Jungle
Last found:Sep 24, 2012
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Last edited:Jun 22, 2005
Clue image
Note: 8/16/2014. have just been informed the stamp is missing! Not sure when I will be up that way to replace it.

Difficulty: Easy - flat level trail
Clues: Easy
Time Required: 45 minutes tops
Stamp: 1, hand carved

This is the first in a series (total # as yet undetermined) of letterboxes depicting hobo symbols.(The 2nd is Good Campsite in Townsend/West Groton, MA; the 3rd is Sleep Here in Hollis, NH)

Hobo is the name coined for men (or women) who left friends and family during the Great Depression of the 1920’s & 1930’s or after wars when there was no work in their home cities. They travelled as migrant workers or just to avoid the stress and strains of life in a family they could not support. They would hop a freight train and ride in boxcars to the next city in search of temporary work, perhaps in construction or on a farm. There is a resourcefulness to the idea of being a hobo that says you will survive by doing what you have to do.

Hobos developed a system of symbols - a code through which they gave information and warnings to their fellow travelers. Usually these signs would be written in chalk or coal on a trestle, fence, building, sidewalk, or railroad equipment to let others know what they could expect in a given area - where it was safe to camp or sleep, whether the local authorities were friendly or not, where a free meal might be available. All these symbols aided the hobo in finding help or steering clear of trouble.

The symbol on this stamp let the hobo know that the lady of the house was a “kind hearted woman” and would be likely to provide a meal or a warm place to sleep.

To look at other hobo signs and symbols try this web site… http://www.slackaction.com/signroll.htm#

CLUES
Look for the old railway station in downtown Wolfeboro, NH. Directly behind it you will find the Bridge Falls Path which runs along the old rail road line. It is the first section of the Cotton Valley Trail. The tracks are still in place and the day we planted the box (along with letterboxing buddy JELT) we saw 3 old railroad maintenance vehicles run by RR buffs using the old track! You can pick up a pamphlet and trail map at the information booth inside the railway station.

You will pass by the ruins of the old dam and mill site at Wolfeboro Falls and cross 3 roads and during this walk. After you cross the 3rd road, you will come to a white post with the #3 on it on the left side of the trail. (If you cross Silver Street, you've gone too far.)
Continue along the trail about 35 steps. You will come to a large pine tree growing out of the side of the banking. It has one large root that snakes it's way down to your level. Look to the top and right of that root and find a kind hearted woman tucked up under it.

This trail can be busy at times, so please be discrete and rehide it carefully as it is about eye level to an adult. If you continue along it you will come to beautiful Lake Wentworth in a short distance. Makes a great bike ride too!
Thanks