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Grand Old Dame LbNA #33434

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Jul 26, 2007
Location:
City:Horner
County:Lewis
State:West Virginia
Boxes:1
Planted by:Joyful Explorer
Found by: The3Bears
Last found:Apr 11, 2015
Status:FFFFFFFa
Last edited:Jul 26, 2007
This box is hidden at the Hacker's Creek Pioneer Decendents Genealogy library. It's a raelly great place to look up ancestors from the area. They also have a gift shop, and very helpful volunteers. Feel free to stop in and check it out. You can also go to their website, www.hackerscreek.com.

I hid this box when I was doing my Girl Scout Gold Award project. My project was collecting stories about the Weston State Hospital (nicknamed the Grand Old Dame) from people who worked there, or who had any other memories. The hospital is really an amazing structure. It's massive, and quite beautiful. It's the largest hand cut stone building in North America, and one of the largest in the world. To imagine that men (including my ancesotrs) built this huge building all by hand back in the 1800s (no power tools!), is truly amazing. All the stories that I've collected are going to be on a website to be perserved, even if the building isn't. Right now it hasn't been used since 1994, and sadlt, it has not been kept up. On August 29, they plan on aucioning it off. ='(

So, on to the letterbox. To get to HCPD from I-79: Take exit 99 (route 33) turn right, and go for two and a half miles until you reach a sign that points you to Horner Road. Turn left, and you will see the library right in front of you. At the T turn right and then immediately right, onto Abbotts Run Road. Park in the lot beside the library.

Now the fun part! You should see a brown shed behind the library. Face the doors, and walk around the left side (the side closest to the building. At the base of the shed there are bricks under it. After the second brick, and behind a rock, you will find a miniture grand old dame. Please rehide well, and be careful for onlookers. HCPD can get busy, and only Betty Ann knows about the box.

Also, to see the real, life size Grand Old Dame, go into Weston which is in the opposite direction of Horner, and go straight until you reach River Street, and go left. You can't miss it.