|
Dr. Granary
If you continue up the path you will come to Tomb 96; take
notice of the large slab of stone on the ground. While this flat
stone indeed hides a hole that leads into the tomb, in February of
2007 it also hid $10,000.
That’s because a large coin five
inches in diameter in a black pouch was hidden under the slab's
back edge. Finding the hidden coin and winning the money prize was
to have been the reward for figuring out the 30th, and final, clue
to a country-wide historical trivia contest “Hunt For More”
sponsored by the makers of the Dr. Pepper soft drink: “You're hot
on the trail, though the place may feel chilly. The coin rests by
the name of a patriot at rest in Philly.” I’ll give you a minute
to guess the answer.
The clue was released via the Internet
at 3 AM and within a half-hour the front fence along Tremont
Street was lined with eager treasure hunters. Boston Park Rangers
arrived at their Boston Common headquarters around 6 AM only to
find themselves inundated by angry cell phone calls from treasure
hunters complaining that the burial ground was still closed.
It was quickly determined that not only would the Granary not
be opened to protect against any damage that a small army of
treasure hunters digging through every nook and cranny might
inflict, but local police needed to be alerted so that they could
protect the graveyard from any overzealous participant that
decided to simply take the next step and trespass.
Dr. Pepper
officials cancelled the Boston portion of the contest, donated the
$10,000 to a local charity, agreed to pay for the extra police
detail, and vowed to never include Boston in any future contests
without the full knowledge and approval of city officials.
Oh, I almost
forgot. The chilly Philly patriot? Mr. $100 bill himself - Ben
Franklin.
|