Solid Foundations LbNA #28470
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Add Location| Owner: | Adoptable |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Jan 28, 2007 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Glouster |
| County: | Morgan |
| State: | Ohio |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Planted by: | GSD 1  |
|---|---|
| Found by: | Ben&Kari |
| Last found: | Jun 23, 2007 |
| Status: | FFFF |
| Last edited: | Jan 28, 2007 |
BURR OAK STATE PARK LODGE
Placed by: GSD 1
Placement Date: Jan. 28, 2007
State: Ohio
County: Morgan
Nearest City: Glouster
Number of Boxes:1
The area was settled in the early 1800’s. To build sound houses, barns, bridges, etc. the people needed solid foundations. The bedrock here is mostly sandstone and in many places it is exposed. This sandstone is of a very hard, even grained and weather resistant type. It was used in making grindstones(See Constitution, Ohio Letterbox), and building stones for railroad trestles(See Choo Choo Letterbox) and buildings. In many areas, these foundation stones were hand cut and shaped, which was very labor intensive, hard work. Folks would hand drill(using a star drill and hammer) to cut a series of grooves/holes in the sandstone. Then use wedges to split the rock into smaller sizes. They would sometimes let Mother Nature help. In winter, they would fill the grooves/holes with water or wet wood wedges and let the freezing water split the rock. They would then haul the cut chunks out to be further dressed. A lot of the time the blocks, when dressed, were so well matched and mortised that they didn’t use any mortar to hold them together when building foundations, or piers(Choo Choo).
This letterbox commemorates the hard work in making these SOLID FOUNDATIONS
SOLID FOUNDATIONS
CLUES:
Go to the Lodge and park. Go inside and look around. The Lodge offers lodging(rooms and cabins), meeting rooms and dining room. A very fine Nature Room and pool can also be found in the Lodge.
Go back out the Front Entrance, and make a right turn and go to the south end of the building and the Handicap parking area. You will see signs that say Tennis Courts and Ravine Trail. Take the Tennis Court Trail.(This trail runs parallel to the parking area). Where the asphalt ends, out at the Tennis Court, there is a dirt trail that takes off to your right down toward the Lake. Take this trail, but be careful as it is uneven and can be slippery. In approx. 94 steps, just before the trail take a serious downhill turn, you will see two different, small shrubs/trees that have multiple trunks, on your left. Beyond these you will see some boulders/rocks. Walk out to those rocks and beyond them you will see a rotting tree trunk with a branch that come off the right side. This tree has many woodpecker holes in it and nice little cubbyholes at its base. Go to that tree and then just beyond it you will see a huge flat rock. Walk out on the rock and at its lower, downhill side, you will see a series of grooves cut across the top in a straight line. This is where they were starting to cut the rock. Now go to the left side of the rock, and on the flat edge you will see who was cutting the rock and when he was there. Now, to find the letterbox, turn around, with your back to the edge with the maker’s mark, and look up and off to your left at a large oak tree growing on top of a rock. Go up to this tree and on the right side, at the base you will find a flat rock. Lift up the rock to find a SOLID FOUNDATION.
Be very discreet when uncovering, stamping, re-hiding, because you are within sight of the trail, road and the tennis courts. As always, you can contact me with comments or problems, or the Lodge Naturalist, on the weekends.
Placed by: GSD 1
Placement Date: Jan. 28, 2007
State: Ohio
County: Morgan
Nearest City: Glouster
Number of Boxes:1
The area was settled in the early 1800’s. To build sound houses, barns, bridges, etc. the people needed solid foundations. The bedrock here is mostly sandstone and in many places it is exposed. This sandstone is of a very hard, even grained and weather resistant type. It was used in making grindstones(See Constitution, Ohio Letterbox), and building stones for railroad trestles(See Choo Choo Letterbox) and buildings. In many areas, these foundation stones were hand cut and shaped, which was very labor intensive, hard work. Folks would hand drill(using a star drill and hammer) to cut a series of grooves/holes in the sandstone. Then use wedges to split the rock into smaller sizes. They would sometimes let Mother Nature help. In winter, they would fill the grooves/holes with water or wet wood wedges and let the freezing water split the rock. They would then haul the cut chunks out to be further dressed. A lot of the time the blocks, when dressed, were so well matched and mortised that they didn’t use any mortar to hold them together when building foundations, or piers(Choo Choo).
This letterbox commemorates the hard work in making these SOLID FOUNDATIONS
SOLID FOUNDATIONS
CLUES:
Go to the Lodge and park. Go inside and look around. The Lodge offers lodging(rooms and cabins), meeting rooms and dining room. A very fine Nature Room and pool can also be found in the Lodge.
Go back out the Front Entrance, and make a right turn and go to the south end of the building and the Handicap parking area. You will see signs that say Tennis Courts and Ravine Trail. Take the Tennis Court Trail.(This trail runs parallel to the parking area). Where the asphalt ends, out at the Tennis Court, there is a dirt trail that takes off to your right down toward the Lake. Take this trail, but be careful as it is uneven and can be slippery. In approx. 94 steps, just before the trail take a serious downhill turn, you will see two different, small shrubs/trees that have multiple trunks, on your left. Beyond these you will see some boulders/rocks. Walk out to those rocks and beyond them you will see a rotting tree trunk with a branch that come off the right side. This tree has many woodpecker holes in it and nice little cubbyholes at its base. Go to that tree and then just beyond it you will see a huge flat rock. Walk out on the rock and at its lower, downhill side, you will see a series of grooves cut across the top in a straight line. This is where they were starting to cut the rock. Now go to the left side of the rock, and on the flat edge you will see who was cutting the rock and when he was there. Now, to find the letterbox, turn around, with your back to the edge with the maker’s mark, and look up and off to your left at a large oak tree growing on top of a rock. Go up to this tree and on the right side, at the base you will find a flat rock. Lift up the rock to find a SOLID FOUNDATION.
Be very discreet when uncovering, stamping, re-hiding, because you are within sight of the trail, road and the tennis courts. As always, you can contact me with comments or problems, or the Lodge Naturalist, on the weekends.