Treasure Hunts

Do Some Research on Blackbeard

You head to The Basil E. Frankweiler Research Service, a local think-tank with extensive information on all topics. The librarian is an old friend of yours, and you hope to bypass the normal red tape. Your timing is a little off. “You want information on Blackbeard? I’m sure we’ve got a decent bio on him…

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About Blackbeard

Edward Teach (AKA Blackbeard, Edward Thatch, Edward Drummond) Edward Teach was born in Bristol, England. He served the crown raiding the French and Spanish during the War of Spanish Succession (1702–1713), then enlisted with Benjamin Hornigold in 1716 to plunder ships in the Caribbean. Toward the end of the year, they seized a large, well-built…

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About The Legend

Battle scene

Once a small crowd of tourists has gathered, the guide begins the talk: We’re very proud to have the Legend here. It was discovered off the coast of North Carolina three years ago, dismantled underwater, and rebuilt in dry-dock. The North Carolina Nautical Museum has graciously lent the ship to us for this exhibit. As…

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Hunt 1989: Scavenger Hunt

After serving behind the scenes for two Hunts, I was eager to compete for a change. Steve Williams took up the challenge of organizing the 1989 event, which was a scavenger hunt instead of the puzzle-centric events of previous years. Seekers were tasked to find the following items: Any Cleveland Indians or Tampa Bay Buccaneers…

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Hunt 1988: Spy Game

Topsecretsidebar

The second time around, we wanted to up the stakes a bit. Having teams compete was fun—but what if solvers could strike off on their own at any time? What if you couldn't trust your teammates? For this kind of backstabbing scenario, a secret agent theme felt natural. Participants could work together temporarily to solve…

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Hunt 1987: It All Starts Here

Rebus clue to one of the 1987 Hunt locations

Unindicted co-conspirator Amber Blaha and I put together the first Hunt during the summer of 1987. It was a straightforward series of puzzles, with the answer to each being the location of the next clue. The prize—a basket of goodies, I think?—was hidden at the final location, a secret glen in Rock Creek Park that…

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