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The Wissahickon Trader LbNA #16051

Owner:Traveling Tigers
Plant date:Jun 30, 2004
Location:
City:Philadelphia
County:Philadelphia
State:Pennsylvania
Boxes:3
Found by: 13bridges
Last found:Mar 12, 2011
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Last edited:Jun 30, 2004
These boxes are currently pulled. We are working on replacements and hope to have them active again in the near future. Thanks for the interest!

The Wissahickon Trader


Oct. 20, 2011: Box one and two are there. Three is on indefinite hiatus as we work to repair it.

The clues below provide directions to three boxes. Most of the hiking is easy, but there is one moderate uphill scramble, so be forewarned. Enjoy!

Even though much was to happen that day, I can’t recall the date, nor the year, but if pressed I might say it was 1876 or possible ’77. It might have even been so much as a decade later. I guess that is immaterial to my tale, so let me get right to it and save you the babblings of an old, tired man…

It was about half past six when my manservant, James, brought in a note to me. I was enjoying a light breakfast of poached eggs and toast.

“James, what is so important to interrupt my meal?”

“Sir, Mr. Castner has sent this letter and demanded it be presented to you immediately.”

“Mr. Castner? You should have said that earlier James.”

I broke the wax seal and eagerly pulled out the note contained therin. It was brief and to the point. “Meet me at Valley Green Inn at half past seven.” There was little time to waste. I ignored the remains of my eggs and quickly dressed. The last time I met with Mr. Castner my pockets were lined heavily for weeks afterwards. He was not a man to keep waiting. I quickly mounted my horse and headed over to the hotel. Once there, I stabled my animal and went out to find Mr. Castner.

“Good Morning. I trust I did not disturb your breakfast with my demands.”

“Oh, no, sir. What can I do for you?”

“A new opportunity has arisen and I need some help. I’ve just received a large shipment of bricks from a new venture. I’ve taught Jamin, a potter from up north, to create house-quality brick for me instead of useless rubbish like pots, vases, and such. The first batch is completed, and the craftsmanship is excellent.

“My good fortune continued as I also have been presented with another great opportunity. The nearby grist mill is in dire need of some wheat. I have a group that is willing to trade me the wheat in exchange for some brick – which I just happen to have in abundance!”

I failed to see how this was going to make me money, but I played along responding, “Bully for you!”

“I’m sure you want to know why I summoned you. Well, my fool of a son was supposed to handle this transaction, but he is off cavorting with his photography bee or some such nonsense. Taking pictures of houses and such, as if that will ever be worth anything! Of course, he considers me part of the codfish aristocracy, so help from him can never be expected. I need you to meet with the traders, take the wheat to the grist mill, and comeback here with the profits. I have other business to attend to today, but I trust you can complete the task.”

Box 1: The Ghost of Tedyuscung


So my day began. I headed north along the path from the Hotel with a skip in my step and thoughts of profits on my mind. Before I knew it I had reached the marker to Fairmont and I knew I was well on my way. At the crossroads, I followed the water’s edge. Not too much farther along, I ran into Dr. Evans, sitting on his bench, and stopped to sit with him a spell.

“Dr. Evans, what are you doing in the woods at this hour?”

“Oh, I was just looking for some new herbs to use as medicines. Nature holds many secrets close to her bosom. What are you doing lad?”

I told Dr. Evans about my quest. His face grew ashen.

“Be careful son. The areas you are heading into are haunted I fear. Many tales have been told about strange happenings in those areas. Be vigilant.”

I waved off Dr. Evans, and silently laughed at his warnings – I continued following the road along the water. It was easy to be so light-hearted on such a sun-filled morning.

I soon crossed a bridge, and shortly thereafter stopped for a drink at the new water fountain, on the left side of the path. Many travelers were thankful for this new respite, but today the place was strangely deserted. After refreshing myself, I continued on the path. I passed a guardhouse on my right and soon thereafter came to another intersection. I choose the path to the left and stopped at the first of several small benches on my left. There I sat and paused to rest my sore feet.

As I sat, I thought about the stories of the Lenni-Lenape Indians who had their last council in the area a hundred years before, and then left the area for lands westward. My mind wandered as I recalled the stories my father had told me about the Indian Tedyuscung. Apparently, he was not the leader of the Lenni-Lenape as commonly thought. He died tragically in a fire, not long after the rest of the tribe left the area. In his honor, I carved a message in the bench to him, “Hail to Chief Tedyuscung.” Sitting there, contemplating this lore, I dozed off.

I awoke with a start, the sky was black and a light rain had begun to fall. I was staring at the hills at 62 degrees and I thought I saw something on the hill. My curiosity got a hold of me and I went to investigate.

I trotted back in the direction of the guardhouse I had passed before. However, when I reached the intersection, instead of going back the way I had come, I crossed over a cobblestone bridge. After the bridge, I passed under an arch on my left, and climbed the steep stone staircase. At the top of the staircase, I followed the remnants of a path at a bearing of 20 degrees – climbing over a variety of roots and rocks until I reached what could best be described as a “T” intersection with another trail. To the north, I could still see the object that had sparked my curiosity. I headed right, on a bearing of 140 degrees and crossed over a wooden barrier. I turned around to look at the barrier and read its directions – I followed the sign staying on the path as it curved back and forth.

I continued to follow this trail until I reached a set of stone steps on my left. I descended the stairs and was able to get a closer look at that object that had garnered my attention from below. It almost looked like a shadow of the old native in my father’s stories. I thought for certain I was seeing an Indian chief looking out to the west – then I realized I was watching a ghost! It turned to look at me and started coming towards me! I ran back up the steps and headed north along the trail about 60 paces. I then hid behind the large two-forked tree on the left just off the trial. The ghost was in pursuit and my mind was racing – Dr. Evans had been right.

Once the ghost passed my hiding spot, I carved an image of this apparition so I wouldn’t forget it, and then I quickly returned the way I had come. Fearing that somehow carrying a visage of the ghost would summon it anew, I hid my carving in the base of that tree I hid behind, on the far side from the path. It may still be there to this day – if you find it keep an eye out for the ghost!

Box 2: Just Another Brick in the Wall


I returned to the stone steps near where the apparition had first arisen, and took the trails back down the hill from whence I came. However, when I arrived back at the arch, I did not cross over the bridge as before, but took a smaller bridge to the south, across the path from the arch. I now walked south along the eastern side of the Wissahickon creek.

I took a right at a rhododendron choosing to follow the path trod by foot rather than horses. I continued on and passed, on my right, some trees that were preventing a large rock from falling in the water. How curious.

I continued along and passed some other, larger stones, on the left, whose shape and appearance mimicked the cross-section of a giant, fallen tree trunk. I soon found myself squeezing through a tight spot between a stone and a toppled tree trunk. I don’t know what cased the tree to fall – perhaps it was off kilter due to its three trunks. As I crossed over a quartz-filled stream and continued along the trial, I picked up my pace once again – one because I was late, and two because I wanted to put as much distance as possible between myself and the ghost I had seen.

I was out of breath by the time I reached a waterfall on my right, and paused briefly for a drink from its faster moving waters before continuing on the trail, following the slower moving Wissahickon creek. I soon crossed another small stream. Just after that smaller stream I caught a glimpse of a fallen bridge on the right that no longer spanned the Wissahickon.

Soon after passing this fallen bridge, I came upon an intersection. I headed in a northeastern direction, at a bearing of 60 degrees. I walked along the right side of the stream for a little ways. Soon, I spotted a smooth, gray bridge on my left and crossed it. Here I met the traders I sought.

They were constructing a large stonewall. They informed me that they had decided to construct their wall out of stones and no longer needed the brick. Fearing Mr. Castner’s wrath if I returned empty handed, I argued mightily with them. They eventually agreed to trade me the wheat for the brick, since one of the builders knew of a man who would in turn exchange those bricks for sheep, to which another builder replied that he had some ore he would gladly give in trade for those sheep – however, with the wheat in hand, I ignored their future plans for the brick (and you should too). Instead, I looked around for a spot to rest before heading to the mill.

Facing the wall, I looked to the right and saw a maple growing out of the wall, and past that another tree growing out of the wall, this one a beech. I approached the beech and rested in its shade. While there, I carved a small remembrance of my trade that day (and of the ghost that I had seen, as it was still weighing on my mind). Since my hands were full of the wheat I had to carry, I left the carving behind, in a crevice by the beech, covered by a few small stones.

Box 3: Hugo’s Mill


Now that I was well rested, all that was left for me to do was to deliver the wheat to the mill and return home with the profits. I got up, walked back along the wall and re-crossed the smooth gray bridge.

After crossing the bridge, I turned left and headed north towards the mill. I walked along the path, enjoying the late afternoon light and thinking about the all the new homes that were planned for this area. I had read that a new sewer system would be needed. I soon spied several of the manhole covers for this sewer and knew the mill was near.

At the second manhole cover I reached, I headed off into the woods at a bearing of 60 degrees up a small hill, and continued over this rough terrain until the gristmill came into sight below me. Upon reaching the mill, I met Hugo, the owner of the mill, and sold him the wheat. His three daughters, Sarah, Alicia, and Kyla came out to gather up the crop and grind it. Hugo was very much appreciative and paid the promised handsome sum.

Having completed my transaction, I felt the need to once again record my success. I was standing by a pipe that ran between the mill and a nearby rock wall, which ran perpendicular to the stream. With my back to the stream, I walked nine paces from the pipe along this wall, and then stopped to sketch my adventures. Rather than carry it away, I found a hole about three feet up in the wall and left my carving there. A nearby tan rock served to hold the carving in place.

The only thing left to be done was to head back to the Valley Green and meet Mr. Castner. I headed back the way I had come, passed the gray bridge, and when I reached the intersection went left -- following the path of men, horses and bicycles. I could soon see the Inn off to my right. I crossed the bridge back over the Wissahickon and followed the path back to the Inn, Mr. Castner, and my PROFITS!