I'm glad to see some letterboxes being place up here in the NW corner of
CT, but I must make a minor correction to your location. Camp Sequassen
is in New Hartford, not nearby Winsted.

I'll be looking for it soon. Thanks.
Pat Koss (in Barkhamsted)
Rubber Soul

Be nice - Nice is good.


-----Original Message-----
From: Magic Mike [mailto:mmletterbox@hotmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, August 03, 2002 10:56 PM
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [LbNA] New LetterBox. Hermit's Grave LetterBox, Winsted, CT

Hermit's Grave Letterbox.
Winsted, CT
Northwestern Connecticut

Placed by Magic Mike on July 26, 2002


Hermit's Grave Letterbox
Placed July 26, 2002 by Magic Mike

The Hermit's Grave Letterbox is placed on Sequassen Boy Scout
Reservation in
Winsted, Connecticut. To get to the reservation, take Interstate 84 to
Route 8 North. Get off at exit 46, Pinewoods Road. Take a right off
the
exit and travel it until the end of the road. Turn Left and then the
next
right on to West Hill Road. You will see signs directing you to
Sequassen.
It is very noticeable on the right side of the road. You may wish to
check
in at the Ranger Station and tell them you are visiting the Hermit's
Grave.

The Quinnipiac Council of the Boy Scouts of America established Camp
Sequassen in 1927. Due to council mergers, it is now operated by
Connecticut Yankee Council and in 2002, celebrated it's 75th
anniversary.

To get to the Hermit's Grave, follow the signs that will take you past
the
English Dining Hall and Clark Field, there you will go on to the
Red/White
Trail which will take you past several campsites on the way to the
Hermit's
Grave.

The history of the Hermit is from the book, Sequassen Secrets by Thomas
C.
Mercaldo. The legends surrounding the Hermit are among the highlights
of
Camp Tradition. However, little is known about the solitary man, except

that he lived alone and loved woods, taking great care to preserve the
natural beauty of the area.

Who was the Hermit? What was his name? Why did he choose this wooded
area to
live? Who buried him and placed the wooden cross on his shallow grave?

What we do know for certain is that the Hermit lived alone in the
Sequassen
woods, in the area surrounding an overflowing spring. His home was
small
and constructed of unfinished wood. In 1942, the original shack burned
down
but was soon rebuilt. Great pains were taken to preserve the atmosphere
of
the original shack by using some used but still serviceable lumber. All

that remains from the original structure are the three boards in the
wooden
doorframe.

Southwest of the shack, a mound of earth is believed to be the grave of
this
solitary woodsman. A broken down wooden cross was removed from the
grave
and replaced by a permanent headstone.

There soon developed a tradition of putting something green, such as a
leaf,
on the Hermit's Grave. The purpose of this gesture was to keep alive
the
memory of the Hermit, and the love for nature, which his life
exemplified.

The nearby spring has flowed for centuries and it's own legend has
developed. During WWII, a former Scout, Edward Zimmerman's plane was
shot
down behind enemy lines, He wandered around Germany undetected with
nothing
but a day's worth of C rations and a canteen of water from the Hermit's
Spring. Miraculously, he is rescued three days later by fellow Scout
Anthony Savino whom he as not seen since they stayed together at
Sequassen
in 1937. This incredible coincidence fueled the legend that if you
drink
from the Hermit's Spring, you will always return to Sequassen.

To find the Hermit's Grave Letterbox, pay homage at the Hermit's Grave,
reading the inscription at the headstone. Take care to place something
green on the grave.

At a bearing of 298 degrees, you will see a large rock about 30 paces
away.