The Lincoln Highway in Exton, PA: Hiding in Plain Sight

Although this may look like a parking lot box, it really isn’t. And although the site may look like an exploded dumpster, it really isn’t a dumpster box either. I have to admit that this is definitely not the beautiful location that I picture any of my boxes residing in, but wondering about the stories that may be hiding here intrigue me. And the fact that so many commercial and retail buildings have grown up around this location without totally destroying this site absolutely amazes me. If you are into practicing CITO, this is definitely the spot to consider spending some time.

Head to the Festival in Exton and park in the farthest northeast corner of the parking lot, the Lincoln Highway will be a few feet to your north and a group of evergreen trees will show you where to walk down the hill behind the retaining wall. When you get to the hidden surprise there, head to the southernmost edge of the structure and keeping the wheel to your back, face the woods. Look to your left to see the remnants of an old fence with concrete posts. The first post is mixed in with a three tree grouping. Check out the small pile of rocks at the base of the fence post. And don’t forget to take a bag of trash back out with you!

Length of walk: driveby
Elevation: 10 feet
Date Planted: 10/18/09
Color needed for stamp: Brown

Did You Know....

Did you know….that October is National Pretzel Month?

Did you know …that Berks countians eat an average of nine pounds of pretzels per person a year?

Did you know….that Reading is the Pretzel Capital of the World?

Did you know....that Berks countians are just as happy to use pretzels in pie crusts as graham crackers?

So now that you know all of that, come visit us and explore one of our little known trail areas. In fact, I didn’t even know about it until a couple of weeks ago and it is only a few miles from our house. Begin by parking at the intersection of renotS and smadA streets. Do not attempt to park any closer to the trail, there just isn't room.

Walk up smadA street which will become eniP Avenue and you will see this forbidding sight. But don't worry, it says No Parking and No Hunting, it does not say No Trespassing.


You will encounter three Ys. At the first, bear right, at the next bear left. Before you come to the next Y, look to your right and you will see these neat stone structures. First picture is the view of the roof from the trail, the second is from the side.

Right after you see these buildings, you will come to your third Y which has a very faint fork branching off to the right. Take the left trail and within a few steps, you will see a stone lined ditch on the left.

As you stand at the culvert, look into the woods behind it and you will see a very large two sister tree. About fifteen feet to the right of the two sister tree is a three plus one sister tree. Between the two trunks of the two sister you will find the Reading Pretzel.

PS: Archery hunting is permitted so be prepared with your orange.

Length of walk: less than 1 mile round trip
Elevation: 30 feet, the elevation is all on the road walk to the trail
Date Planted: 10/03/09
Color needed for stamp: Brown

The Cemetery Box

Find this sign (yes, I know they replaced the sign but the name of the Chapel is still the same) in eastern Berks County to find another member of the Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places. Once you find it, take a tour of the cemetery where you will find the grave of William Bird, the founder of Birdsboro. When your tour is finished, take a break on the steps at the back of the original church facing the little useless but cute bench. Casually reach under the left side of the top step and remove the stone which is covering the box.  Once when I was checking on the box, a bunny came running out of the same hole so the box may have company.

I don't live far from this box, if you want to do an exchange, just let me know and I can meet you here.

Length of walk: less than .1 mile
Elevation: 0 feet
Date Planted: 09/07/09
Color needed for stamp: Black

Mordecai's Grandson

Most people know that I was born in Kentucky and I am buried in Illinois but maybe they don't know that some of my roots are anchored right here in Berks County. Great great grandpa Mordecai moved here with Great Grandpa John at a time when Berks County was still a part of Chester County. Today, the house that they lived in is listed on the National Historic Register. Find the house on the road named after my family and from the historic marker, drive 1.4 miles east. When you see the white fence, turn left into the second driveway and park your car.

Walk past the white gazebo and head for the shrubbery. When you find the cluster which consists of three yews and two blue cedar, duck into the nook created by the second cedar and the second and third yews. Facing the road, look on the lower branches of the yew to the right. The shrubs form a perfect hiding spot for stamping in.

Length of walk: .1 mile
Elevation: 5 feet
Date Planted: 09/07/09
Color needed for stamp: Black

5/8/10 Edited to add: When my sister and I went to check on this box last week, it was gone. The next day I received an email from some people who maintain the land where the box was hidden. They had found the box while doing some maintenance and didn't know what it was so they removed it. When I explained its purpose, they were very excited about the idea and put the box back. Please appreciate what is being done with this area when you visit. The work here is something that is unique to me and I am very glad that I found this location.

Angelica Angel

Park on the northeast side of the parking lot at Angelica Park off of Route 10. Heading east, cross the street and go up the hill. Look for a very large tree which splits into a V about fifteen feet up. This tree has a large hole in the front of it. Enter the woods and go 46 steps from this tree towards the rock wall at the edge of the woods. You will see a tree which has a large rock on its left hand side. At the base of this tree is my little angel.

Location: Angelica Park, Reading, PA
Hike Length: 0.1 miles
Elevation Game: 15 feet
Date Planted: October 23, 2005

09/07/09 Report from Anne of Green Gables that box is still intact although a little damp.
07/30/06 checked on box, it had a little water in it but thanks to the rebagging efforts of the last finder, everything was in good shape.
Last found: 09/07/09

The Hidden Door

Location: Berks County
Hike Length: Driveby
Date Planted: August 5, 2006

Once upon a time there was a beautiful young girl named Melinda. Melinda had a beautiful mother and a handsome father and they all lived happily together in the county of Berks. One day, the beautiful Melinda was walking along the road to Morgantown on the south side of the shire of Reading. She was on her way to see the swans on Swan Lake after visiting her friend, Angelica Angel. A handsome young man on a large white horse stopped her along the way and asked her if she wanted a ride to Swan Lake. Not remembering anything her mother and father had taught her about talking to strangers, she climbed aboard. They soon approached the building where Melinda’s grandfather had stayed while he was recovering from his fall out of the apple tree and the young man pointed out this nearby tower to the beautiful, young girl.
“Would you like to see the shire of Reading from the top of this tower?” he slyly asked Melinda. She excitedly agreed and the handsome young man led her to a hidden door on the north side of the tower. He pulled a key from a pocket, unlocked the hidden door and they climbed the stairs to the top of the tower. While Melinda was busy looking for the home that she happily shared with her beautiful mother and handsome father, the young man quickly slipped back down the stairs, locking the door behind him. The next thing Melinda saw was the handsome young man galloping away on his white horse. “Oh, no!” Melinda thought after realizing her foolish mistake, “how will I ever get out of here? My beautiful mother and handsome father will be so worried!”

Melinda looked down from the windows at the top of the tower and saw the hidden door. When she moved to the windows on the south side of the tower and looked down, she saw another little building. Between the little building and the tower was a pile of items that gave Melinda a great deal of hope. If someone were to come close to the tower, she could direct them to this pile and they could build some stairs to the top and rescue her. But she saw something under the pile that gave her more hope. If only someone would come and find this, she could escape and return to the home that she shared happily with her beautiful mother and handsome father.



7/23/09 - I just checked on this box and it is alive and well. Just be careful, there is a bit of poison ivy beginning to make an appearance near the box but it is not necessary to touch any of it to retrieve the box.

11/17/13 - Verified that box is still available.  The logbook is a little damp but contains so many wonderful stamps that I am not going to replace it at this time. 

Laura's Childhood Luvs - Garfield

Difficulty level: easy
Length of walk: .75 mile
Planted: July 18, 2005

This is one of a series of boxes based on my daughter's childhood luvs. Laura is the mother of my beloved grandson, Milkmonster, and when she was pregnant with him, we did some shopping in the toy department to see what toys were the latest rage for today's infants. We were totally surprised to find that many of the toys that Laura played with as a child are still available and popular today. Because Laura has a physical challenge (she is blind) and also enjoys letterboxing, my goal for the boxes in this series is to make them all handicapped accessible but this particular box is a little more difficult that the others that have been planted. Actual retrieval of the box would require a physically able person.

Go to the main parking lot at the mansion of the park of the Hosiery Baron between the hours of 8 and 4 on weekdays or if you are there at other times, park at the Sawmill parking area and walk to the mansion. Take the path at the right end of the parking lot to the intersection of Middle and Laurel paths and choose the Laurel path. This will eventually hit a gravel path which you will take to a Y intersection at Kissinger Road. Turn right and walk about 30 steps. You will see a few small rocks and a downed tree on the right side of the path about 20 steps off of the path. The box in on the backside of the middle of the downed tree. There is a small rock about 3 foot wide in front of this section of the tree.

Edited 7/6/09. I checked on this box and it is still in good shape but the downed tree is deteriorating. However, if you take the 30 steps and look to your right, you can see the rock which is in front of the tree very easily even with all of the summer growth that we have this year.

The Paoli Massacre

2 Box Series
Difficulty: Very easy
Date Planted:  November 13, 2005
Length of Walk: 1/2 mile

3/3/09 - tree is gone, box is missing and likely won't be replaced.
10/18/09 - The Englishman has been replaced.

To get to Monument Park in Malvern:
From Rte 29 and Rte 202, go south on Rte 29 toward Malvern. Turn Left on to
Lancaster Avenue (Rte 30). At the next light, turn Right on Old Lincoln
Hwy. Turn Right on Bridge Street (go over the Train Tracks). Turn Right
on King Street. At the light, turn Left on Warren Avenue. Proceed one
block, and turn Right on Monument Avenue. Continue on Monument, the
park will be on your Left. 

This is a truly stroller capable search. Lil Milkmonster accompanied me on his first
letterbox plant and promptly fell asleep in his stroller.


September 21, 1777 
Paoli Massacre – An American in Paoli
Brigadier General Anthony Wayne and his 1500 troops were preparing for battle
with the British who were supposedly headed for Philadelphia. The
troops rested, prepared their weapons, ate, and unwisely, made a lot of
light and smoke with their campfires. As the British stealthily
approached, sentries on horseback discovered them and rode quickly back
to the encampment shouting warning cries but it was too late – those
guarding the eastern perimeter were fatally attacked. As the remainder
of the camp began to wake up, they also began firing their rifles but
the gunfire simply lighted up their location. A terrible battle
followed, many Americans were fatally attacked and others were deformed
by the bayonets of the enemy. But one American found a safe hiding
spot. 
On the east side of Monument Park, you will see two
cannons guarding the battlefield. Step towards the battle field, behind
the cannons and notice the small grove of trees to the south, before
you enter the woods. Most of these trees are fairly young but you will
see a few mature trees. One of these is shaped in a V with a welcome
hiding spot at its base. Here you will find the American soldier,
guarding his ground.

Paoli Massacre – An Englishman in Paoli
Major General Grey prepares his troops to attack the unsuspecting Americans
in Paoli. He orders them to remove the ammunition from their guns and
to prepare their bayonets for battle. This action earned him the name
of “No Flint Grey”. The British had been given the password to the
American camp by some Tories and were easily able to approach General
Wayne’s encampment. After destroying the troops guarding the eastern
perimeter they rushed towards the main encampment at 1 AM in the
morning. One young Redcoat remained in the woods, preparing to attack
any American who tried to escape.
To find the Englishman, enter the woods to the south of the American and 
head east on the trail. You will notice several little trails leading back out
onto the battlefield. Most of these trails have story boards at the
end of the trail.  Stand at the intersection of the trail that leads to the
first storyboard and look to your right.  You will see a
massive V tree about 15 feet into the woods.
Look in the V formed by the two trunks for the Englisman's
perfect view of the battlefield.

To read more about this gruesome battle between General Wayne and General
Lord Grey,  go to The Paoli Massacre.