Hurricane Earl . . .

Due to the arrival of Hurricane Earl tomorrow evening.  We are pulling 3 letterboxes that could be affected by the storm surge, winds and high tides (don’t want those boxes drifting out to sea).  So, until further notice, The Bumpus Park, Honest Dick, and Blue Fish River Letterboxes are off line.  I will post here when they are put back into place.  Sorry for any inconvenience

We have our first Hitchhiker!!!

A hitchhiker (sometimes known as a “parasite”) is a letterbox with no permanent home. Instead, a hitchhiker travels from letterbox to letterbox, “hitching a ride” with whomever happens to find it.

A hitchhiker includes the same basic components as a letterbox: a rubber stamp (usually created just for that hitchhiker) and a journal in some kind of a container, either a small watertight plastic box with lid or a heavy duty ziplock bag. Hitchhikers in plastic bags are meant to be placed inside a host letterbox, so they’re usually very compact, without extra items like a stamp pad or pencil. Hitchhikers in plastic containers are meant to be hidden alongside a letterbox. Sometimes, there’s no room inside a letterbox or in a box’s hiding place for the hitchhiker, so you’ll have to carry the hitcher to your next destination instead.

Each portion of the journey is recorded. Stamp your personal stamp and the stamp of each host letterbox in the hitchhiker’s logbook. Stamp the hitcher in your own journal, counting it as a find in your PFX count. Finally, stamp the hitchhiker’s stamp into each letterbox where the hitcher makes a stop.

Most letterboxers who create hitchhikers like to live vicariously through reports of their hitchers’ progress through the country. If the creator requests updates from finders of the hitchhiker, please take a moment to send an email message when you get home. Some letterboxers track the progress of their hitchhikers on their Web sites   You can report where you found the hitchhiker, but please don’t tell where you left it.

Finding a Hitchhiker

 The whole point of hitchhikers is that they travel from box to box across the country. So what happens if you find a hitchhiker and you’re not planning to go letterboxing for several months? You might consider leaving the hitchhiker in the letterbox rather than letting it sit in your backpack or desk drawer for an extended period. Go ahead and stamp into the hitcher’s journal and record it in your own log, but let the next letterboxer carry the hitchhiker to its next home.

 Logging a Hitchhiker

 Whenever you find a hitchhiker, you need to make sure to log the find in several places.

1. Record the hitchhiker’s stamp in your personal journal.
2. Record your personal stamp in the hitchhiker’s journal.
3. Record the hitcherhiker’s stamp in the host letterbox’s journal (the letterbox where you leave the hitcher).
4. Record the stamp of each host letterbox in the hitchhiker’s journal. 

This can be confusing when you’re out on the trail, especially when you’re with a group, so take your time and make sure that every journal is stamped accordingly.

 Counting Hitchhikers That You Plant and Find

 You should count each hitchhiker as a “find” in your PFX count. If you are the original creator of a hitchhiker, you can count it as one of your planted letterboxes. You should not count a hitchhiker as a plant when you leave it in a host letterbox.

 There’s no agreement on how to record a hitchhiker that you find more than once. Some letterboxers will record it as a find, as long as it’s been carried by other letterboxers to at least one other letterbox in between finds. (In other words, you can’t leave a hitchhiker in a letterbox, and then come back a month later and “find” the hitchhiker in that same box.) But most letterboxers would move the hitchhiker to a new box, but not include any subsequent finds of that hitchhiker in their PFX count.

 Providing Hitchhiker Status Reports

 Most letterboxers enjoy hearing about the travels of their hitchhikers. If a hitchhiker includes the email address of its creator, please send a status report indicating where you found and where you left the hitchhiker. Some hitchhikers even have their own web pages where their travels are recorded.

 Dropping Off a Hitchhiker

 Hitchhikers and letterboxes come in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes the two are incompatible. If you carry a hichhiker to a new letterbox and find that it doesn’t fit inside or in the box’s hiding place, then don’t leave the hitcher behind or record it in the letterbox log. Instead, carry it with you to the next letterbox you find.

 It’s fine to leave a hitchhiker in a letterbox it’s already visited, but remember that the whole point of a hitchhikers is to see how many different boxes it can visit. It might be more fun to drop off the hichhiker at your next letterbox find instead.

2d Meetinghouse letterbox off line . .

Someone or something left the letterbox at the 2d meetinghouse site open and the stamp is missing.  Not to worry.  I have ordered another stamp which we should have by the end of the week.   I will post here when the box is back out in the field.

All is in order . . .

A replacement letterbox has been placed in the same spot at Round Pond.  Let’s hope this one stays intact.

Letterbox Found

Thanks to Carrie Dowling and her kids, the letterbox at Bumpus Park has been located and it was intact.  I guess this means I need to remind people to return the box to where it was found.  I am not sure if someone thought it should be more hidden than it was but since this is mainly for children, I didn’t want the box to be too hard to find.  So thank you to the Dowlings.

As far as the Round Pond Box goes, I have a new stamp and booklet and will be placing it sometime on Friday.  Thanks for your patience.

Sadness at the Society . . .

The rumor is true.  The letterbox at Bumpus Park has gone missing.  I have also had the letterbox from Round Pond brought back to the office because someone stole the contents and just left the box.  Why????  It makes me sad that some people can destroy the fun for others because of their selfishness.  But they will not prevail!!  I have ordered more stamps and hopefully will replace the boxes by the end of the week.

Thanks to all of those who have found the boxes and returned them to their hiding places.  I hope you are having fun and are learning a little something also!

Missing Box

There is a rumor that the Letterbox at Bumpus Park is missing.  I will check on it today and if it is true then I will need to order another stamp and this may take until the end of the week.

 I post here when the box is back in place

Let the fun begin . .

Well, here they are.  The Clues to the 10 locations of our letterboxes around Duxbury.  Have fun. Watch out for the poison Ivy and let me know if there are any problems with the boxes or clues!

#1   Honest Dick Monument: From Route 3, take exit 10 in Duxbury and go north on Route 3A.  Follow this road until you come to the stoplight.  Take a right at the lights on to St. George Street.  Follow this road until it ends.  At the flag pole, take a left on to Washington Street and then immediately bear right on to Powder Point Avenue. Bay Pond Road is about ½ mile down the road on the left.  Park to the side of the road and go to the Monument.  With the monument in front of you look behind the 2 trees to your left.

 #2  Round Pond : From Route 3, take exit 10 in Duxbury and go north on Route 3A. Go 1.9 miles and take a left on to Mayflower Street (immediately past the Fire Station). Go 1.3 miles to parking lot on left.  Head Southwest on the path to Round Pond.  Follow path to the fork with the 3 trees.  Stay to the left.  At the next fork, keep the stump on your right.  Follow path and find the tree (on the right) marked with 2 white slashes .  If you come to another fork in the road, you have gone too far.  Find the bench and take a seat.  Look around and find a tree with no leaves (hint: 10 o’clock).  Walk 30 paces towards the tree.  Turn right and walk 6 paces.  Look behind the tree in front of you.   Warning: Stay on paths – there is a lot of poison ivy in the woods.

#3 King Caesar House: From Route 3, take exit 10 in Duxbury and go north on Route 3A.  Follow this road until the set of lights.  Turn right onto St. George St. Go to the end of the road.  At flag pole, turn left onto Washington Street and immediately bear right onto Powder Point Avenue.  Take your first right onto King Caesar Road.  The King Caesar House is a big yellow house on the left hand side of the road.  Once on the property, find the compass that points the way. Face Southwest.  Go towards the end of the fence and look under the bush.

#4  Bradford House : From Route 3, take exit 10 in Duxbury, go north on Route 3A.  Go 2.6 miles.  House will be on the right hand side of the road.  Park in the parking lot in front of the house.  If you pass Harrison St. on your right, you have gone too far.   Find the Sundial in the back of the yard.   With your back to IIII follow path into the woods.  When the circle becomes one, go approximately 50 paces.  Take the path on your right. Follow the path and find a tree that is cut in half to let you pass. Go no farther.  To left there will be something to find. In the summer time there is an abundance of ferns around the tree. Warning:  The back half of the house is a private residence so please respect their privacy.  Also, there may be poison ivy in the woods to watch out.

#5 Bumpus Park: From Route 3, take exit 10 in Duxbury and go north on Route 3A.  Follow this road until the set of lights.  Turn right onto St. George St. Go to the end of the road.  At flag pole, turn left onto Washington Street and immediately bear right onto Powder Point Avenue.  Take your first right onto King Caesar Road.  Bumpus Park will be on your right. Parking is directly in front of the Park.  Facing the water, follow the path to the end of the park, sit on the bench and enjoy the view.  Find the grove of pine trees to your left.  Search between the rocks.

#6 Second Meeting House: From Route 3, take exit 10 in Duxbury and go north on Route 3A.  Drive 1.6 miles and turn right onto Chestnut Street.  Drive .5 miles and turn left on to Pilgrim by Way.  Park on Pilgrim By Way, follow the path up the hill, Keep the cannons on your right. Find the headstone of Mary Robinson near the marker that marks the site of the 1^st meeting house (under a tree next to a stone).  Starting to the left of the headstone, walk approximately 55 paces into the field.  Turn left and go behind market and look for the box.

# 7  Blue Fish River (Maxwell Rose Garden): From Route 3, take exit 10 in Duxbury and go north on Route 3A.  Follow this road until the set of lights.  Turn right onto St. George St. Go to the end of the road.  At flag pole, turn right onto Washington Street.  The Park is on your right a few hundred feet up the road on the right immediately before the bridge.  If you have gone over the bridge you have gone too far.  Follow the old foundation to the North west corner and go to the middle post, look under the flowers.

#8 Ropewalk: From Route 3, take exit 10 in Duxbury and go East/North on Route 3A.  Follow this road until the set of lights.  Turn right onto St. George St. Go to the end of the road.  At flag pole, turn left onto Washington Street and immediately bear right onto Powder Point Avenue.  Take your first right onto King Caesar Road.  You will stop at the King Caesar House which is a big yellow house on the left hand side of the road.  Head to the front of the driveway, turn your back to the sea, look to your left in the base of a tree.

#9 Nathaniel Winsor, Jr. House: From Route 3, take exit 10 in Duxbury and go East/North on Route 3A. Take a right onto Harrison St.  Follow this to the end (Washington Street). The house is the big yellow house in front of you on the right. Cross Washington Street onto Mattakeesett Court.  The parking for the house is behind.  Look for the secret garden next to the garage.  Take a seat on the bench and look “downeast” to find the box.

 #10 Wright Building: From Route 3, take exit 10 in Duxbury and go East/North on Route 3A.  Follow this road until the set of lights.  Turn right onto St. George St.  Drive .7 miles, and the Wright Building is on the right just pass the town pool.  Go inside and find the Drew Archival Library and ask the Archivist, Carolyn.  She has the stamp!!   Warning:  The hours to the Archives are Monday through Friday, 9am – 1pm.  If you want to call ahead to make sure the building is open the phone number is 781-934-1382.

What you will need

You don’t need much in order to start letterboxing — a log book in which you record your finds, a personal stamp, an inkpad and a pen.  If a letterbox includes any sort of hiking or orienteering, then you may need a trail map and compass, too.

Personal Journal
You’ll need a journal of some kind to record your letterbox adventures. You can make your own, or you can buy one — it’s up to you. Look for one with unlined pages and with paper thick enough that a stamped impression won’t bleed through the pages. It doesn’t need to be large — most letterbox stamps are 2½” x 2½” or smaller.

• Personal rubber stamp
  Part of the fun of letterboxing is to make your own stamp; it can be easily carved with an eraser and an X-acto knife. If you’d rather, you can buy a ready-made stamp at a stationary or crafts store. 
• Ink Pad
  You’ll need to bring along an ink pad (or perhaps several in different colors) in order to stamp your personal journal and to stamp into the letterbox log. Many letterboxers prefer a pad with “pigment” type ink, instead of “dye-based” inks. Make sure it’s big enough to accommodate a 2½” x 2½” letterbox stamp, or has a raised pad surface to allow you to ink large stamps.
• Pen or pencil
  In addition to your stamp, you may wish to add a note to your entries in your personal journal and the letterbox journal.
• Compass
  A good compass is essential for deciphering many letterbox clues.
• Paper towels, cotton rag
  Letterboxing can be messy. A letterbox that’s been buried in leaves or underneath rocks is sure to covered in dirt or mud. Clean it off before you open it up, to protect the contents. Also wipe your hands — there’s no need for leaving dirty fingerprints in letterbox journal. Also, before you repack a letterbox, you should clean off the surface of the stamp (same goes for your personal stamp). Bring along some paper towels or a soft cotton rag to clean up as you go. Baby wipes might be handy, but aren’t recommended — they have a scent (even the soap on the unscented ones) that shouldn’t be transferred to a letterbox, either directly or from just-cleaned hands — since it could attract critters.
• Hiking supplies
  You should be be well-equipped and prepared on every letterbox excursion you make. A pair of sturdy shoes or boots is a must, especially for off-trail searching. Long pants will be a barrier against poison ivy, stinging nettles, thorns, and bugs.
• Work gloves
  A pair of sturdy work gloves can help when turning over rocks and reaching into hidden places. These can be tough on the hands and fingers, so a little protection can’t hurt.

Put your stamp on history

The Duxbury Rural and Historical Society is pleased to announce a new “letterboxing” project. 

Letterboxing is a nation-wide, family-oriented hobby that combines elements of a scavenger hunt, hiking and puzzle solving in a unique activity that is growing in popularity.  There are more than 22,000 letterboxes hidden in the U.S. today, but they can only be found if one follows the proper clues.  The Duxbury Rural and Historical Society has decided to join in on the fun and will soon be hiding 10 letterboxes around Duxbury.  The boxes will be hidden at several historic sites and open-spaces so that, while enjoying the search, participants can also learn about Duxbury’s history.  The letterboxes will in place on June 22, 2010.

The origin of letterboxing can be traced to Dartmoor, England in 1854 when a well known Dartmoor guide placed a bottle for visitors’ cards on the moor.  Later, hikers on the moors began to leave a letter or postcard inside a box along the trail (sometimes addressed to themselves, sometimes a friend or relative)—hence the name “letterboxing.”  The next person to discover the site would collect the postcards and mail them.

Today, letterboxing involves finding small, weather-proof boxes hidden in parks and other public places.  Individual letterboxes contain a notebook and a rubber stamp.  Finders make an imprint of the letterbox’s stamp on their own personal “logbook” and leave an impression of their personal stamp on the letterbox’s “visitors’ book” as proof of having found the box.

Clues leading to the DRHS letterboxes will be posted on the Society’s website, www.duxburyhistory.org along with detailed instructions on how to participate (i.e. supplies needed, etc.).  Those who manage to discover all 10 letterboxes should bring their stamped log books to the DRHS main office at the Nathaniel Winsor, Jr. House, 479 Washington Street (Monday-Friday 9 am to 4 pm) to receive a letterboxing T-shirt as a prize.

 For more information, call the DRHS at 781-934-6106 or e-mail aarnold@duxburyhistory.org.