On Sunday, June 8th, the CHS will host a Charlestown Trivia Treasure Hunt – a 2 hour walk around Charlestown in search of answers to questions about local history and landmarks.
The event begins at 1:30PM at the Battle of Bunker Hill Museum, in the lower Auditorium where teams will be given a packet of instructions (see below for advance info), the route they will follow, and some materials for making ‘rubbings’ of some engravings along the way.
It will end with a social gathering at 3:45PM at the Warren Tavern.
There is $10 per person entry fee, which includes a donation to the USS Constitution Museum.
Sign-up with a team of 2-4 people, or sign-up as an individual and we’ll form teams at the event. The ideal team will include a maths expert, history buffs specializing in the Revolutionary War and 20th Century Warfare, and a relative of Sherlock Holmes – or just Fred, Nancy, Walter and Paul.
In order to manage the event to reasonable numbers, please Register your team at the following email address, include your name, the number in your team and your Team Name. Register early to avoid disappointment, as the event is expected to be heavily over-subscribed.
hennesseyhd51@gmail.com
(If this link does not open your email service, it will be necessary to fall back on the old Copy-Paste routine. You can also Register by using the Inquiry form at the bottom of this page: enter Hunt as the Inquiry Subject)
There will be prizes will be given for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, with the 1st prize being $100.
It’s social. It’s fun. It’s history!
You will need cash to register and possibly buy water along the route.
There is a Rain Date set of June 22nd.
The Game is A-foot – literally
1: The Aim of the Game – to use written, visual and context clues to follow a route around Charlestown, gathering answers to ‘Clues”. It may be necessary to decipher a clue to find the next location on the route. Use your team mascot/symbol to identify your team in all camera shots.
You will be looking for information plaques, inscriptions, memorials and all kinds of possible items to photograph and assist you in giving answers to the clues.
2: Timing – the event starts around 1:30 pm – team dispatches may be staggered to spread them out along the route. The event is timed to take 2 hrs at a brisk walking pace, so finishes around 3:30 pm, but 120 mins from your teams start time.
If a team has not completed the route within the 2 hrs, they should cut short their walk and head to The Warren Tavern with what they have achieved so far.
At around 3:45, a buffet will be available at the Tavern, this will enable the Hares to catch their breath and the Tortoises to catch-up. The Tavern has kindly offered to host the end of the event, and is providing the appetizer plates.
3: The Hunt:
– Do try not to cheat – obvious, but to win at any cost can be tempting!
– Do not assume that you can follow another team, they may have been given a different set of clues and a different route.
– No use of phones or Google etc. to seek assistance
That’s the obvious negatives … now,
– The route passes through two National Parks, where Park Rangers are available to offer assistance and also there may be volunteers/docents in some locations. Strange as it may seem, you can communicate directly with them, without Twitter, Facebook, Linked-in etc …
– Clues have their value in points listed, most are just one point, but if the point count is higher, it is an indication of difficulty.
– If there is a ‘*’ in the Clue number, it means there is a Clue contained within the Clue.
– Bonus Questions: do not count towards the score, but will be used as tie-breakers between teams with equal points.
– Bonus Routes: there are two ‘bonus routes’, these add more distance and time, but score more points. Teams will need to assess where they are on the route and whether they can ‘risk’ taking the additional time to score more points – should they split up their team and send a hunting party on the bonus route? – true to American ideals, this game is highly competitive, but do you have good judgment? (If a team does split-up, all answers must be submitted on one form.)
The basic route is 75 mins of brisk walking and 45 mins of clue finding.
– The team with the shortest finish time will score 3 extra points, second shortest time, 2 points third shortest time, 1 point. Time taken is just Start to Finish, inclusive of any Bonus Loops.
– Concentrate on keeping your team moving, and not overly focused on trying to answer every clue.
– Generally, there is a 1-3 minute walk between Clues – a few exceptions are identified in the text.
– You have materials to make ‘rubbings’ of certain items along the route – don’t loose them.
– Teams should hand in their results to the CHS President – he stops your Team’s clock
– There will be 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes.
Remember this is just a game, have fun, enjoy working with family and friends – the CHS is not responsible for resultant feuds !!!
Now you’re wondering just what does Greek architecture have to do with a Treasure Hunt ………..
4: Bathrooms: facilities are located at: Bunker Hill Museum, USS Constitution Visitors Center, Ironside Grill, Old Sulley’s, Sulley’s, 99 Restaurant, Warren Tavern.
5: Early Finish & Assistance – if you wish to cut your route short and still participate in the end event, head to the Warren Tavern.
(Note on bar courtesy: the Tavern has kindly offered to host the end of our event, so should you end up in the Tavern early, please do not just sit and occupy space – spend your money and tip the staff !)
6: The Start! Head-up into the Museum – take a moment to reflect on the game and you might want to make some notes.
The Charlestown map is provided in case you get lost.
Dry Dock 2#, not obvious to some, as it is full of water …
This pdf file provides the start of the game – basically what you have read above:
CHS Hunt
