What is geocaching?  It is a treasure hunt than began in May 2000 when satellite access was made available by the government for GPS receivers.    A computer consultant in Oregon decided to test the accuracy of the GPS technology by hiding a container and documenting the coordinates.  The finder would locate the container using a GPS and sign a log sheet to verify the find.   This was the beginning of the phenomenon now known as geocaching- “Geo” for Earth and “cache” referring to a hiding place.  Geocaching has grown so much that millions of hidden caches have been placed all over the world.  

 The Garfield School is home to a hidden geocache.  It was placed in April 2015 and since then  XXX  geocachers have found the container, signed the log sheet, and entered their find into the geocaching.com website.   The Garfield School cache requires a geocacher to read the historic plaque in front of the building and recalculate new coordinates to locate the cache.  In this instance, the cache container is the size of a film canister and located….. well, that’s a secret!

?   Garfield School

 N 4243.822    W 7335.849

 Geocache Description

This cache is located in the Town of Brunswick, New York in Eagle Mills on NYS Route 2.   Permission has been obtained from the Brunswick Historical Society to place a cache here.  They are aware of why “those people” are looking around.     This historic building was erected to serve Brunswick School District #2 and is named in recognition of President James A. Garfield.  This two room schoolhouse is considered the most well preserved nineteenth century building in Rensselaer County, was named to the National Register of Historic Places, and was recognized by the Preservation League of New York.

Today, the building is home to the Brunswick Historical Society, a non-profit, educational organization chartered by the New York State Board of Regents.  During operating hours, please stop in to view the interior of this building.

The posted coordinates are for parking.  You need to bring your own pen.  The actual cache is located at:

N 4243.(A)     W 7335.(B)  To find (A) & (B) solve the following: 

For (A), subtract 62 from the last three digits of the year the school was constructed. 

For (B), add 32 to the last three digits of the year President James A. Garfield was born.