Collins Beach by Hart612

Collins Beach
by Hart612
Photos from geocaching.com Photographers: yokota85, Metaphor, and MikeOtt

Robert and Lois Hart and their dog Shelby are Hart 612. Back in December of 2005 our first issue of this web site featured them as our Featured Geocachers. In that article it was mentioned that beyond being expect finders of geocaches (1222 finds as of May 1, 2006) , Hart612 is also expert at placing geocaches (68 sites created as of May 1, 2006). All of them are worthy of being a featured geocache so trying to choose one was almost impossible. So we didn't. Instead we contacted Hart612 and asked them to nominate their favorite cache. Collins Beach is that choice.

The cache is located in lower New Castle County in the Cedar Swamp Park an area near the coast almost at the Kent County line. There's an curious history involving this "Beach" and the swamp. Lois Hart explains: "Collins Beach used to be a a resort area in the late 1870's, but was wiped out by the hurricane and tidal wave of 1878. The whole shoreline was changed and Cedar Swamp became a salt marsh. Can you imagine--a tidal wave in Delaware?"

With the unusual weather Delaware has been getting in recent years coupled with the tragedy of New Orleans and hurricane Katrina this event is rather startling. The writer of this article is a life long Delawarean whose ancestors lived in the this area back to before the Revolutionary War. He does not remember ever hearing any stories about this event from his family. Delaware history courses in the public school system and college also failed to mention this event. Bob and Lois Hart discovered it, though.

Lois tells us a bit about the area: "The homestead area of Collins Beach is very romantic and peaceful. There are two huge trees standing like protectors of the house behind them. At one end of the house is a structure that looks like a windmill with no blades, but was in fact a guest house.

Going past the house and down a short path is a small family cemetery, which just adds to the gothic aura of the area. There are lots of different shrubs and trees in the area which are not native. We understand that the last owner of the house had a nursery there, but haven't been able to document it. Everyone who has come to search out this cache has loved the area and wants to know more about it. If the gate is locked, there is a half mile walk back to the cache area, but it is worth it."

The Geocacher known as Metaphore visited Collins Beach and took several photos of the grave stones.

Notice the little orange dot on the left side of this stone. It is probably a kind of mold that attacks old stones making them very fragile. On you visit to this site please be respectful of the these graves and use care when near the stones. Also if you visit in the spring, summer, or fall know that there are bees in the shrubs.

So with all this background, what are you seeking at this site? Hart612 doesn't tell you the kind of container but it is marked as regular size. The cache has been in place since December 29, 2004. Twenty-Five cachers have found this site, the most recent visit was on April 30, 2006.

Hart612 has provided us with a most curious cache site. As you move about this area recall that this was once a thriving beach community that was destroyed much like parts of New Orleans. Did any of the people in these graves loose their lives during that tragedy? There's a lot to see and lot to ponder at this site. And there's also a cache of an unknown kind to find.

Our thanks to Bob, Lois and Shelby - Hart612