Hallowed Grounds Tour 2008 Box Clues & Maps
We’ve
just finished planting these, so if you decide to go for them ahead of
schedule, keep in mind there may be little glitches in the directions. Contact
us at spriteandhighlander@yahoo.com
and we’ll give you our home number so you can call if you get lost! I’m also
including a copy of the map
so you should be able to stay on track on your own. Keep the following info in
mind:
·
With the
exception of the event stamp (which will ONLY be around on the 18th
and 19th of October), all these boxes are permanent placements, so
don’t worry if you can’t get them all in one weekend…you’ve got the rest of
your life (or until the muggles find them, whichever comes first!)
·
On that note,
be sure to look around carefully, since even out in the sticks where many of
these stamps are, there are farmhouses that can see RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE! We
recommend carrying a camera or camera phone of some sort (or paper so you look
like you’re doing tombstone rubbings). Tell any muggles that you’re following a
“Cemeteries of Genesee County” tour instead of boxing.
·
Directions to
the specific locations are in italics and bold, while the box clues are
in normal font.
·
The boxes are
simply the stamps on about an inch square piece of pink carving material and
hidden inside medicine bottles, so don’t look for anything big.
·
There are two
different stamp sets this time. The Green Route takes you northeast of the I-90
from the Thruway Exit 48a (Pembroke/Corfu Route 77/63) toThruway Exit 47
(Leroy/Route 19). When you finish, you’ll have 12 pieces that create one
tombstone with the center missing (the center is the event stamp). The Orange
Route takes you southwest of the I-90 from the Leroy exit back to Pembroke and
makes an obelisk with its 11 stamps (print the map out so
you can see what these should look like).
·
Both routes
at once total up to about 90 miles, plus you can add another 10 to get to our
house when you’re ready. Needless to say, we do NOT recommend doing these all
at once!
·
Any time we
tell you a direction to leave from the cemetery (left or right), it will ALWAYS
mean the direction you’d go if you had your BACK to the cemetery.
·
Finally,
don’t forget to come by our place for snacks when you’re finished! To do this,
just take Route 77 North off the Thruway to Medina. Once you get to the center
of town (3rd stoplight, including the flashing one, about 10 minutes
from the thruway), turn left onto Center Street. Go 8 streets down on the right
(including the light at the post office) and turn right on Beach Drive, which
is just past Erie Street. Park at the dead end and knock on the log cabin door!
Green Route (12 piece
Headstone)
Start first by getting to Thruway Exit 48a
(Pembroke/Corfu). When you get to the stoplight at this exit, turn left toward
Medina. Go over the thruway and around the bend to the first right turn, which
is Indian Falls Road. Go down about 6/10 of a mile and look on your
right for…
1. Indian
Falls Cemetery—Turn
in on the right and follow the faint road in. Park and climb to the top of the
hill in the back corner. Look for the large granite tombstone for Leonard
Wagner. If you face him, there’s a tall shrub on his right. Look in the shrub
nead the base of the stone. Turn left
from the cemetery to return to Route 77. Turn right on Route 77 and follow this
for about 6 miles. You’ll go through Basom, past the turn for Oakfield and down
to a flashing 4 way stop (keep this in mind, as you’ll be coming back to it).
Go through the stop still heading north for a few tenths of a mile until you
see (on the left)…
2. Alabama
Center Cemetery—Enter through the middle entrance (the one
with the sign). Drive to the middle, where you’ll see the large Norton monument
on the left with the silver fence around it. Park here and check under the base
of this monument behind a lot of leaves (which will be odd, since there’s no
trees close enough!). Head back out of
the cemetery and go back to the right to the flashing 4 way stop. This time,
turn left onto Lewiston Road. You’ll pass a cemetery that we REALLY liked, but
was too open to plant any stamps inkeep going past Knowlesville Road up a steep
hill. Just as you crest this hill, look for grassy road to the left to follow
up, where you’ll see…
3. Nichols
Hill Cemetery—Drive
up the hill and park in the northeast corner by the fence. You’ll see a half
buried stone for Wolcott and a broken stone with the broken part leaning
against it. Look between the pieces of the broken stone. Get back on the road and continue straight (left from the cemetery) to
where you can veer right to continue on Lewiston Road. Turn right and follow it
uphill to the first right turn at MacComber. Pass Ham Road and stop at Judge
Road/Route 63. Make a left and on your left you’ll see…
4. Reed
Cemetery—Drive up the middle entrance and look on
your left for a big monument to the Ingalsbe family. Check under the edge of
this stone. Go back to the road and head
left. This will take you around the bend into Oakfield. At the stoplight, turn
right on Maple and follow this to the FIRST cemetery on the right (the one before,
but not next to the church). This will be…
5. Cary
Cemetery—Turn in at the first entrance to the
cemetery, the one that’s on the east side. If you miss it, just enter from the
other side and wrap around. Look for the stones marking the resting place of
young Jason Beechler and Carl Snyder. Behind these is an elaborately carved
monument for the Schultz family plot. Face this stone and check under the left
edge. Leave the cemetery and head back to
the left to the stoplight again. This time, turn right to get back on Route
63/Main Street, then turn left again past the car dealer and the pizza place
onto Route 262/Drake Road. Take this about 4 miles down the road to the
intersection of Route 98 and 262. Turn left and drive up into the city of Elba.
You’ll pass the school, then start looking for the signs that direct you to the
museum (which will be on the left at Maple Street). Make that turn, then drive
back and around the corner to…
6. Maple
Lawn Cemetery—Drive into the cemetery from any road, but
head straight for the lone bush near the huge maple in back. If you look back
at the maple while standing in front of the bush (your back to the back of the
cemetery), you’ll see a stone for the Grahams. Look in the bush on that side. Leave
the cemetery and go back the way you came (turn left and follow the road back
to the stop sign at Route 98). Turn left from here and head just a little ways
up the road to Chapel Road. Make a right and you’ll see…
7. Pine
Hill Cemetery—Park next to the cemetery, then stroll
casually to the huge maple in the back corner (the one nearest the church).
Check the roots of this maple on the left side, but watch out for folks in the
houses around you! U-Turn back to Route
98 and turn left. This will take you back past Maple Street, past the school
and back to the intersection you came in on from Oakfield (Route 262). Drive
further down and turn left just past the fire department where 262 East
continues. Follow this for another 6 miles or so past the stop sign at Byron
Road and the stoplight in Byron itself. Keep going and look on the left until
you see…
8. Byron
Cemetery—Turn in and park in the center near the two
cedars that make an arch over the Bateman stone. Stand in front of this and
look through the arch and uphill. The Highlander really loved how there was an
almost perfect row of “spires” leading uphill, one of which has a carved
mourning dove on top! Anyway, climb up to the top spire, the one for the Deming
Family and look back down to your car. On your left will be Harland Perkins and
on the right, the end of a low wall. Move a little masonry in the crack aside
for this one. Get back on the main road again and head back to the right,
returning the way you came to the flashing stoplight. This time, turn right and
head north for about a mile or so. Past Warboys and North Bergen Road on the
right, you’ll see…
9. North
Byron Cemetery—Pull into the farthest entrance and park
next to the Stackhouse monument. Get our and head toward the fence on the left
side of the cemetery, past the Hottois family stones. Go to the last big
Hottois stone and look down in the bush to the right of it. Leave the cemetery heading south (left) and
back track slightly to North Bergen Road. Turn left and follow this for about 4
miles through North Bergen to the stop sign at West Sweden Road. Turn right and
take this until you get to Creamery Road. On the left, at the corner, you’ll
see…
10.
North Bergen Cemetery—Go ahead and make the left turn so you can
park on Creamery Road. Go to the very back corner again under the big maple and
move some bark by the rocks, but be sure the folks across the street just think
you’re taking pictures or something. You’re
already parked on Creamery Road facing east, so continue this direction to Lake
Road/Route 19. Turn right and drive barely a mile, looking on the left for
Peachey Road and on the right, Sackett Road. On the left, almost across from
Sackett, will be…
11.
East Bergen Cemetery—Park on the west
side of the road, then cross over. Another
big maple beckons you on the right hand side. Go behind it and check the roots
under some bark. You should already be
facing south on Lake Road/Route 19, so continue this drive into the town of
Bergen itself. You’ll cross railroad tracks and the center of town, then you’re
reach the intersection of Route 262/Town Line Road and Route 19/Lake. At the
top of the hill on your right is…
12.
Mount Rest Cemetery—The entrance to this place is sort of
hidden. Just drive past the intersection of 262/Townline and looks for the
faint road up the tunnel of maples on the right. Go to the top and the VERY
back of the cemetery on your left. It’s a one way road, so you’ll have to drive
around to the right to do this, but once you pass the cannon, you’ll see the
line of maples that marks the edge of the cemetery. If you follow these
STRAIGHT back to the corner, you’ll see that a little short road actual follows
the maples to the last one (past the Tooker headstone). Get out here and go to
that last maple, then look under some masonry at the tree’s base.
NOW you can take a break!
You’re at the edge of the Town of Bergen at this point, so you have some
options:
·
You can leave here heading south (turning
right) and either drive south on Route 19 into Leroy (pronounced Luh-ROY, not LEE-roy)
for McDonald’s, Pontillo’s Pizza Hut, BK, and a bunch of other places
·
You can drive back north on Route 19 into
Brockport which has just about EVERYTHING because of the college.
·
You could also call it a day and hop onto
the Thruway to go home
·
You can come to our place for the event
stamp. Hop onto the thruway heading West to Buffalo and exit where you started
(Exit 48a in Pembroke). Take Route 77 north (left) all the way into
Medina. Get to the second stoplight in
Medina (at Main and Center and turn left). Keep going down to Beach
Drive, which is the 7th right after the
stop light at West Avenue
(the street after Erie Street).
Drive and park at the dead end and come on up to the log cabin.
·
You can do a “Phoenix” and keep going by
following Route 19 south over the Thruway, then following the steps for the
Orange Route half of the tour!
Orange Route (11 piece Obelisk)
If you’re doing this leg first, you need to
get to Route 19 heading south to Leroy (pronounced Luh-ROY, NOT LEE-roy). Do
this by taking Thruway exit 47 and following the signs to Route 19. You’ll
cross back over the thruway, heading up and down hill, then you’ll look for
Randall Road, which is just past Selden on the right. Turn right and follow
this to the second intersection at Keeney. Make the left and look on the left
for the historical marker showing…
1. Langworthy
Cemetery—This
one struck our fancy when we read about its Underground Railroad connection on
the marker. U-turn and park in front of the marker, then head to the back left
corner under the “Richmond” stone (the one with Albion and Margaret). Return to Randall Road, which you should be
facing since you u-turned. Back track down Randall (right turn) until you get
back to Route 19/Lake Road. This time, cross over Route 19 (passing the ACE
Hardware) and continue on North Street Road (yeah, we questioned that name,
too!). The road curves and bends, then on the right, you’ll see…
2. Machpelah
Cemetery—This
cemetery is TRULY awesome! You’ll have to enter all the way at the opposite end,
near the old Jell-o factory (for those of you new to this neck of the woods,
Jell-o was invented in Leroy). Enter and follow the road to the right around
the Woodward crypt, but STAY on the road to the right. This should back track
you in a northerly direction past the Stevens and Fagan stones. You’ll
eventually find yourself at tow big open vaults dug right into the wall with
stairs leading up on the right. Park here and climb up. When you reach the top,
look for the Tompkins monument and look under the edge. Backtrack out of the cemetery to the main road and turn right, heading
toward the Jello factory and the train tracks. This should take you down past
the light at the intersection at Route 5/Main Street and to the stop sign at
Exchange Street. Turn right and on the left, you can drive into…
3. St.
Francis Cemetery—Go
around the right side, but don’t go into the newer section by the maintenance
shed. Instead, follow the road back to where you can look on the right and see
stones for Stephany and Costa. They’ll be near a multitrunked tree that hides
the stamp in the fork where the trunks meet. Now leave the cemetery heading east (right from the cemetery) back to
the stop sign. Turn left and backtrack up to Route 5 at the stoplight. Turn
left again, then cross over the creek and into town. Turn left on Lake
Road/Route 19, then make the first right onto Myrtle Street. Follow this past
the stop sign at Craigie Road. Just past this on the right will be…
4. Myrtle
Street Cemetery—There’s
a small road going up into this one, so pull in and look to your left for
Herbert Hascall, who has a sort of box around his grave. Get our here and go to
your right to the other side of the cemetery. A tall monument for Sarah Covert
stands here. Go around behind it and face Herbert again. At your feet is a
stone for Father…look behind him on the right side. Leave the cemetery by heading back the way you came (right) to Craigie.
Turn left on Craigie to get back to Route 5./Main Street. Turn left and follow
this road all the way out to Stafford, which is basically an intersection of
Transit Road/Route 237 and Route 5 (the one you’re on). The most definite
landmark is the general store on the right corner, but by the time you see it,
you’ll have to turn left onto Route 237. Go down a ways until you see on BOTH
sides…
5. Stafford
Rural Cemetery—Pull into the main driveway on the right
and notice the big red monument dead center to the Civil War Soldiers. Park
behind it, then climb up and check under the edge for this one. Back track to Route 5 ((left from the
cemetery) and turn left to head to Batavia. Before you get into town, you’ll go
up and down a hill, then see Seven Springs Road (a marker to direct you to GCC
is here). Turn right on Seven Springs and follow this up and down and over tracks
to Route 33, where the stoplight is. Turn left and follow this down until you
see on your left…
6. Grandview
Cemetery—A WONDERFUL statue is in the back here, all
coated in green patina. Her name is Herald of the Dawn and she seems to face east,
waiting for the morning sun. Carved into the base of this winged woman are the
words “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” We had to
mention this because we were so moved by it, plus the fact that the stamp is
across the way hidden under stones next to the receiving tomb. There’s a wall
of stones all around, but on the right side, it tapes off near the hilltop. Go
to the last stone (by the maple near the Whitcomb monument) and face the tomb.
Walk along the hill and the rocks about 4 steps and look down under the rocks
here. We tried to leave some things to help you notice this rock from the
dozens of others…we drew an arrow on a rock nearby and piled a few rocks and a
snail shell on top. Try to leave these for other searchers to find as well. Leave the cemetery heading left, which will
get you back to Route 5. Turn right, then take this to the light at Harvester
and Elm Street. Turn left, then follow the road to the parking space on the
left, right next to…
7. Batavia
Cemetery—This cemetery is OLD and had 4 letterboxes
in it from the Elba Onions (you may want to contact them as to availability for
this event!) It also has some great history to it, such as the huge Richmond
family crypt, Morgan’s Monument, a REALLY cool carving of a Civil War soldier
and others. The one you’ll be near this time is no exception. First, park in
the little lot just before the cemetery on the left, then walk up between the
shrubs and the fence to the Richmond crypt. Get freaked out by the size and the
fact that it’s still OPEN, then look behind this building for the red sandstone
spire for Fargo. From here, you should see a blackened Celtic cross for
Worthington. Behind THAT is a monument for Frost resembling a book on a carved
half stump (cool, huh?). Look in the roots of the nearby tree on your right for
the stamp. Head back to your car and
continue down Harvester Road. Within seconds, you’ll see another entrance to…
8. Elmwood
Cemetery—Pull into the cemetery and STAY to the
LEFT! Do this until you see the entrance in the back, then turn RIGHT. Stay
straight on this road until you can’t go further, then turn right again. Soon
you’ll see a pedestal for Weedon and Burness Bliss on the right and a
multitrucnk tree on the left near the Perkins clan. Look inside the tree for
the stamp. Continue straight ahead and you’ll wrap back around to the road you
started on. Come out of the cemetery and turn left. You’ll see another entrance
with white stone and black gates to what looks like the same cemetery, but is
actually…
9. St.
Joseph’s Cemetery—Elmwood butts right up to this one (in
fact, if you notice the fence about 15 yards from the last stamp, it was the
one separating these twin cemeteries. Follow this road in and uphill. At the
top, look at the little road along the hillside on your right. There’s a maple
standing there and at its base is Marie Quirk. Look in the roots between her
and the tree. Leave this cemetery by
continuing over the hill and down past the St. Joseph’s Mauseoleum. This will
now put you one Route 63. Turn right and follow this into town. It meets back
up with Route 5 just past the Ponderosa and the war memorial. Turn left to go
Route 5 West and stay on this road through and out of Batavia. Follow Route 5
for your longest stretch yet (10.5 miles). This will take you through East
Pembroke and past a little family fun place called Holiday Hollow (great for
little ones, but a little dull for older ones). Just past that (with a
historical marker on the hillside to the left) is…
10.
Old Buffalo Road Cemetery—You’ll have to park on the right side and
cross over to get to this one, since the hill is pretty steep and the road
non-exsistent. As you’ve done before, go to the very top hill in the far corner
of this cemetery (to your right). In the foliage at the VERY edge in the back
is a broken headstone. Move some bark next to it for this one. Continue down Route 5 until you get to the
stoplight at Route 77. You should be able to see the thruway to your right, but
go for this one last stamp to your left. Heading south (left at the light),
keep going until you get near Corfu. Look to your right for the last cemetery…
11.
Evergreen Hill Cemetery—Drive up middle drive (second one) and look
to the left for the Porter monument. Another HUGE maple sits further back from
the road. Check its roots.
You’ve reached the end of our
tour! To get to the gathering or home from here, head north (left from the
cemetery) until you get to the thruway. Either head home from here or continue
up Route 77, which becomes Route 63 at the flashing light in Alabama. Keep
going and until you get to second stoplight in Medina (at Main and Center) Turn
left, then keep going down to Beach
Drive, which is the 7th right after the
stop light at West Avenue
(the street after Erie Street).
Drive and park at the dead end and come on up to the log cabin.
Return to the WNY
Gatherings Home Page
