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First Patented Wire Fence LbNA #70040

Owner:Baby Bear
Plant date:Jun 1, 2016
Location: Landa Park
City:New Braunfels
County:Comal
State:Texas
Boxes:1
Found by: Connecticut Croaker
Last found:Jan 13, 2020
Status:FFFFFFFFa
Last edited:Jun 6, 2016
Difficulty: Easy
Distance to Letterbox: 1/4 round trip.

Box is place in Landa Park, where the historical marker for this event is located. Here is the information from the marker:
Marker Title: First Patented Wire Fence
City: New Braunfels
County: Comal
Year Marker Erected: 1982
Marker Location: 100 block Landa St., entrance to Wurstfest grounds at Landa Park, New Braunfels.
Marker Text: [Special fence design at top of inscription] Virgina native William H. Meriwether (b. 1800), an early Comal County plantation owner, ran a sawmill, cotton gin and gristmill at this site. As an agriculturalist, he was aware of the need for an economical and practical source of fencing material. His interest led to the development of smooth wire and board fence that effectively resisted the temperature changes that had been so damaging to earlier wire fences. His invention known as snake wire fencing, was awarded patent No.10211 on November 8, 1853. It was the first patent for wire fence issued in the United States. Although not widely accepted, Meriwether's fence was an important step in the development of an economical fencing material. It also played a role in later wire fence patent disputes. Meriwether sold his mill site to German native Joseph Landa in 1859 and moved to Tennessee, where he died in 1861. (1982)

Directions to Letterbox:
From Business 46, enter park on Landa Park Drive. Stay on it past railroad station and Founder's oak, cross bridge, then right on loop road (just before comal springs on left. Park in first lot for 5 or 6 cars on right.

To the letterbox:
Walk back on road and cross main road to comal springs start, then go right to the trail sign for Panther Canyon nature trail. Take this trail. Pass bench on right, then come to metal electric box on right (before bench on left). Take small side trail going upward and count about 45 steps. You should be next to large rocks on your right. climb to top where tree is coming out of rock. Box at base of that tree under 8 inch rock.

Hike length: 0.1 miles