Seeking Permission At Small Historic Sites.

[+nekom]

I'm hoping to place a cache at a lesser-known historic landmark in the area and I'm wondering if anyone has gone down this route. I'm pretty sure it's privately owned (not a state or federal park), and I'm wondering just how to ask them about placing a cache there. I won't do it without permission, but I'm hoping someone can sort of guide me as to what is the best way to ask permission.

 

They have a very small museum there (a mere $1 admission for the museum, but the lot is accessible without paying the admission fee, in fact it's right off a major highway) , which has hours of operation every day except Monday, and they have a phone number listed as well. Should I call them, or stop by and ask in person? Would the staffer at the small museum be able to give me permission, or at least guide me in the right direction? Or should I call the office directly? How do I explain what geocaching is if they haven't heard of it?

 

I'm just wondering if anyone has had a similar idea and can give me some guidance. I apoligize if this has been covered before, but my search of the forums turned up nothing.

[+Clothahump]

I would call and set an appointment to meet the director in person. Take a lot of good caching propaganda, especially the brochure from Geocaching U, as well as your GPS and the cache you plan to leave. Educate them about caching as needed, and ask them if they would like to help you place the cache if they give permission.

 

Good luck!

[+nekom]

I would call and set an appointment to meet the director in person. Take a lot of good caching propaganda, especially the brochure from Geocaching U, as well as your GPS and the cache you plan to leave. Educate them about caching as needed, and ask them if they would like to help you place the cache if they give permission.

 

Good luck!

 

Well I don't have my planned cache ready just yet. I'd rather have a full cache full of goodies (ammo can, or the like), but should they see that as a liability risk, my backup plan is to ask permission to place a micro. I'd much rather have a traditional cache full of goodies, maybe even some historical information about the site, but I'd be happy to place a micro if they are worried about any kind of dangers or insurance issues with a typical ammo can. It's a little spot I think everyone should know about, which is why I want to place a cache there in the first place, but I would certainly understand if they had legal concerns.

[+Moore9KSUcats]

One thing you could mention is that with a traditional cache, you could put brochures about the museum and historical site itself, where a micro wouldn't have room. This might help encourage placement of a larger cache.

[+briansnat]

I would call and set an appointment to meet the director in person. Take a lot of good caching propaganda, especially the brochure from Geocaching U, as well as your GPS and the cache you plan to leave. Educate them about caching as needed, and ask them if they would like to help you place the cache if they give permission.

 

Good luck!

 

Well I don't have my planned cache ready just yet. I'd rather have a full cache full of goodies (ammo can, or the like), but should they see that as a liability risk, my backup plan is to ask permission to place a micro. I'd much rather have a traditional cache full of goodies, maybe even some historical information about the site, but I'd be happy to place a micro if they are worried about any kind of dangers or insurance issues with a typical ammo can. It's a little spot I think everyone should know about, which is why I want to place a cache there in the first place, but I would certainly understand if they had legal concerns.

 

I'm not clear on why a regular sized cache would be any more dangerous, or present insurance or liability issues issues that a micro won't - unless its dropping the thing on your toe.

[igreen66]

Personally I wouldn't place a cache in such a place. If newbies and over enthusiastic cachers are having trouble they can often cause damage to such places without realising it.

 

Best thing to do is to make the monument some part of a multi, with one or more clues coming from the site or/and elsewhere, and place the cache in a more appropriate position. This will avoid the need for permission and also any potential damage to the landmark site but still allow the cachers to see the site you want them to. All you need do is to get the cachers to find an answer to a clue on, or close-by the monument etc which can them give them coordinates to the actual cache.

[Clan Riffster]

Thoughts from the ol' fat guy;

Be prepared to give a small class about geocaching, to the folks in charge. Bring along several types of caches. Ammo can, Tupperware, decon kit, bison tube, etc. Let them paw through the caches so they can see what's inside. Folks tend to fear what they don't understand. By creating understanding, you remove any latent concerns they might have. Once they've got the principle down, tell them you're trying to raise awareness for ____________ (<---- insert historical site name here) and point out how your cache, if hidden on their property, would bring folks to the area.

 

Good luck!

[+wimseyguy]

Clothahump already gave an excellent answer and I'll ditto the suggestion from Clan Riffster to bring an assortment of containers so it becomes an interactive experience for them. I'll add a suggestion to bring some printouts of other caches in the area. Pick some that are similar, showing historical interest and let them read the logs of the finders.

 

One of my best caching warm fuzzies was an email from a dad who found my historical virt cache, and spent the rest of the weekend learning more about the topic with his son.

[PCFrog]

I have one cache (GCV0RX) that is on a historic site in Wisconsin and it took nearly 3 months to get approval from the local historical society. Just remember be patient and flexible.

 

Also, I made sure that the cache was not actually on any historical items and the hint is a dead give away to make sure that no one presumes it might be hidden else where.

 

Good luck on your endeavors.

[+wesleykey]

Good comments. I second the opinion to appear in person and show them your GPSr and your cache to help them understand.

[+WalruZ]

Make the cache an offset multi. Hide the cache elsewhere nearby, use clues gathered at the site to determine the final coordinates. See this example.

[+nekom]

Thanks for all the great advice, everyone! To clarify, it's the building that is historic, I do not beleive that there is anything of historical significance anywhere else on the grounds, but I could be wrong.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

Good comments. I second the opinion to appear in person and show them your GPSr and your cache to help them understand.

Ditto. Seeing the equipment in person will answer many questions before they are asked.

[jkloren]

Nekom,

 

If you are interested in the material presented by the museum itself, and wanted to augment that material using GPS, maybe you would consider creating a MuGeum?

 

Cheers,

 

Julian

[+Kacky]

Good luck and make sure you show them how many caches are already placed in the area.