This column first appeared in March 2012.
A while back, I was introduced to the “sport” of geocaching by Irvingtonians Keith and Rachel Gough. A pair of loyal readers, brothers Gary and Tim Poynter, contacted me afterwards and unwittingly peaked my interest in another “sport” that is a direct offshoot of geocaching known as “Waymarking.” Geocaching was first introduced in 2000 and Waymarking followed five years later in 2005.
Geocaching is considered to be a search for a physical cache, usually a hidden container, that allows the geocacher the opportunity to proclaim “Veni, Vidi, Vici” (I came, I Saw, I Conquered) about a location and report their findings to fellow hobbyists via the Web. In time, provisions were made for locations of containerless (“virtual”) caches whose sole intent was to bring visitors to an interesting location perhaps considered unsuitable for the placement of a physical geocache container. These containerless caches became known as “locationless” caches (or “reverse” caches) and in time it became evident that another separate site was required to keep track of them. Presto, the sport of waymarking was born.
According to the Web site www.waymarking.com, “Waymarking is a way to mark unique locations on the planet and give them a voice.” The same GPS technology that allows geocachers like Keith and Rachel to hunt for “swag” in a never ending scavenger hunt is used in waymarking to pinpoint, mark and share any location on the Web. Waymarking allows for categorizing and adding unique information specific to that location for use by urban hikers, happy wanderers and virtual tourists alike. Think of a waymark as an old fashioned tourist brochure in virtual form and you’ve got the idea.
A waymark is “a physical location on the planet marked by coordinates (latitude/longitude) containing unique information defined by its waymark category.” An outdoor maze category, for example, could contain information like the price of admission and days of operation, while a statue category may describe the artist’s medium and date of dedication. A waymark category holds all the waymarks specific to that category’s theme. You do not need a GPS unit to browse the categories and waymarks on the Web site. In most cases, a postal code is all you need to find waymarks near your location, but in many cases, you can simply type the subject into the search box on the site to be directed to the subject of your quest.
For example, go to the waymarking.com Web site and search Indianapolis and you will find dozens of examples of historic buildings and sites for your perusal. For me, it was searching “Burger Chef” that proved most fruitful. The waymarking site lists many of the former locations, some with vintage photos and almost all with modern day photos of the sites. It is interesting to see the converted buildings and signs as they appeared most recently. Anyone familiar with the old Burger Chef franchise will immediately recognize the shapes and sizes of the architectural elements associated with the former fast food franchise. In the seven years since the sport was formed, many of the surviving Burger Chef buildings were torn down, so the waymarking sport is doing it’s bit to preserve history in the documentary photos found on each waymark location.
In case you’re still confused, simply put, waymarking is a hobby where people locate and log interesting locations around the world, usually with a GPS receiver and a digital camera, in order to share their results with fellow enthusiasts. Waymarking differs from geocaching in that there is no physical container hidden at the site.
There are many categories of waymarks, from pay phones through various restaurant chains, covered bridges, churches, places where one can take a factory tour and places of geologic significance, to name only a few.
What’s the point, you ask? Well, searching virtual waymarks can be done from the comfort of your home or office during your spare time. Waymarking allows the virtual tourist to become more knowledgeable of their own neighborhoods and cities while at the same time fostering an interest in local history. Local governments have adopted waymarking as a method for increasing awareness of local points of interest and increasing tourism. For example, “US 40-The National Road,” a subject near and dear to my heart has it’s own category. There you will find several listings of sites on the historic road whose name may be familiar to you, but whose history and appearance are unfamiliar. Waymarking allows you to revisit these sites from your PC or laptop and are sure to strum “the mystic chords of memory” that resonate in your soul. Failing that, they’re sure to make you smile.
As for the Poynter brothers, they brought a waymark to my attention that is not far from Indy’s eastside but should be near to many Hoosier hearts. Twenty-five miles south of Indianapolis on I-74 just outside of Fairland in Shelby County, lies a lonely old burying ground known as “Brandywine Cemetery.” In waymark terms, the location is charted on the GPS as N 39° 35.679 W 085° 50.431. Type that into your browser bar and you’ll be directed to an aerial view of the location. A Hoosier hero of the Revolutionary War lies here. The name on the tombstone is Andrew Harrison, also known as Garret Harsin. Depending on whom you believe, he was either a desperate horse thief or the descendent of America’s first “royal” family and Indiana’s only citizen President. Or both.
Andrew Harrison was the son of Benjamin Harrison V, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and a brother of William Henry Harrison, the 9th President of the United States. Andrew’s great-grandson was Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President of the United States. An impressive pedigree to be sure, but why is he buried here in Shelby County and not in a more distinguished location near his accomplished progeny in Crown Hill Cemetery? The answer may be found in the second name on the stone, Garret Harsin. But believe me, the answer is not a clear one.
Garret Harsin and Andrew Harrison served together, fighting side-by-side, in General George Washington’s elite guard during the Revolutionary War. A Harsin family legend persists that Andrew Harrison was caught stealing a horse during wartime and sentenced to death by hanging. Because Andrew came from such an illustrious family, the commanding officer spared his life by hanging hapless Shelby County soldier Garret Harsin instead. The legend claims that after the hanging, Andrew was given Garret’s papers and assumed Garret’s identity for the remainder of his life to avoid detection of the cover-up (and possible execution).
Next week: The mystery of Garret Harsin.
Al Hunter is the author of the “Haunted Indianapolis” and co-author of the “Haunted Irvington” and “Indiana National Road” book series. His newest books are “Bumps in the Night. Stories from the Weekly View,” “Irvington Haunts. The Tour Guide,” and “The Mystery of the H.H. Holmes Collection.” Contact Al directly at Huntvault@aol.com or become a friend on Facebook.