Welcome to the 2020 Discover Delaware County Scavenger Hunt! Hop in the car and get ready to learn about many natural and historical features of Delaware County! During this scavenger hunt you will be following the clues and learning about each of the 18 townships. We recommend carefully reading each township clue before heading out on your adventure, so you are prepared. Once all the necessary information has been collected, the letters can be filled in to solve the secret phrase below. SECRET PHRASE: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _! Once you submit the completed secret phrase, you will receive discount coupons from Local Delaware County Businesses! Shhh! It’s a secret. Please don’t share and spoil the surprise for other participants! Things to remember: • Be respectful of each site. • Leave no trace of your visit. • Drive safely and be aware of your surroundings. • Practice recommended physical distancing and other health precautions. • Complete the Scavenger Hunt after sunrise and before sunset, as some sites have time restrictions. • Townships do not need to be completed in any particular order. • Complete by September 7, 2020, to be eligible for prizes. Berkshire Township There are a few things in the county named after Civil War officers. One famous general hailed from the eastern part of our county. The name of this general combines the names of both a much beloved, aromatic flower and a type of berry that grows in a bog. The village in which he sits atop his mighty steed in the square is named for the glowing orb we see daily in the sky and a small fruit that grows on bushes. A two-sided sign stands tall nearby. Read the sign that faces the street and take the first letter of the general’s nickname and put it in the 14th spot in the secret phrase. Berlin Township In 1970 the landscape of this township changed drastically. That was when the Army Corps of Engineers dammed the major waterway flowing through the area. The large creek was named for an astringent chemical compound that occurred in its shale banks. (This double sulfate compound is commonly used in pickling.) The resulting structure flooded more than 3,000 acres. Head to Berlin Township and locate this State Park and the Army Corps of Engineers Visitor Center on Lewis Center Road, between the beach and the dam. Once you have parked in the parking lot, look to the northeast end of the lot through the trees for the “White Tail Run” trail. Take the trail a short way into the woods and you will soon see a large gray boulder. Look to the sign describing this metamorphic rock. The first letter of the type of rock goes in the 18th spot in the secret phrase. Brown Township In Brown Township you will find a road named for the spine of a swine, so named because it runs along the ridge overlooking Alum Creek. It runs between Howard Road and State Route 521. Once you are on this road, look for a parking lot on the west side of the road. Once parked in the lot, walk to the trail to the right (northeast) towards the lake overlook. Use caution as you approach the edge as the cliffs drop off abruptly. From this overlook, April through the middle of August, you may see a large bird of prey called an Osprey. This bird flew all the way from Central and South America where it spent the winter and may be seen on wooden structures in the middle of the water. These platforms are designed for the osprey to build their nests on and raise their young during the summer months. However, you couldn’t always see them in Ohio. DDT, a deadly pesticide, reduced their population size to zero in Ohio. After much work, they are officially off the threatened species list and doing well. Take the trail back to the parking lot and you will find a sign on the right-hand side (north) when you originally entered the lot. Take the first letter and put it in the 7th spot of the secret phrase. Concord Township Grab a kayak or your hiking shoes and head to Concord Township. Located on the west side of Dublin Road, the 57-acre O’Shaughnessy Nature Preserve is nestled in Shawnee Hills and operated by the City of Columbus. The beautiful Twin Lakes can be seen along with an abundance of flora and fauna, including life within the water. Park in the preserve parking lot and find the kiosk. There is information on fish listed. What’s your favorite fish? As you leave the preserve look for the AREA S sign. There are also numbers listed. Collect the first number and then count the letters of the alphabet up to that number and put that letter in the 16th spot of the secret phrase. Fast Fact: North of this location at BLUES CREEK PARK, north of Ostrander, you can fish without a license. Catch and release only is allowed. Fish are covered in scales and a layer of slime that helps them move through the water. This slime layer is important to the health of the fish, so remember to handle them with care when putting them back. Delaware Township Delaware Township surrounds the county seat (the city of the same name). Every fall a certain event held on the northern edge of the city draws national attention. It is referred to as part of the “Triple Crown” of harness racing. Head to the grounds on which this occurs. Enter the main gate off of Liberty Street which is open during daylight hours and head to the grandstand. If you examine the “Wall of Fame” at the entrance to the grandstand you will find the year that they stopped referring to it as a festival. The middle initial of the name on the plaque from the first year in which they dropped the festival designation will be the 10th letter of the secret phrase. Genoa Township Named for the village (now Italian city) in which Christopher Columbus is said to have been born, this township was officially recognized in 1816. This 29.76-acre park is operated by the township. With two separate entrances, one being off Old 3C Highway, it is a great place to exercise and have a picnic. The property also has an historic building, over 200 years old! It’s a bicentennial barn! Take the last two digits of the years listed on the township barn and collect the corresponding letter of the alphabet. Then put it in the 12th spot of the secret phrase. Fast Fact: Some historic barns, dating back before 1900, still stand today. Preservation Parks just acquired a property with the official county Ohio Bicentennial Barn. Though it won’t be open to the public for several years, it can be seen off Interstate 71 south of the Alum Creek Dam. Harlem Township Organized in 1810, Harlem Township bears the same name as a city in the Netherlands from which many came to the “New World” in the late 17th-century and began the first colony on the island of Manhattan. While in this township your destination is the Fire Station. The Harlem Township Division of Fire was founded in 1973. It was created by the community through fund-raising efforts and the station was built with volunteer labor. Park in the station parking lot and then look at the front of the building next to the bay doors. On the left-hand side, find the last sign and note the last number on that sign. From the end of the alphabet, collect the letter that corresponds with that number and put it in the 11th space of the secret phrase. Kingston Township Travel to the corner of State Route 521 and Blue Church Road where you will see a cemetery. Pull into the parking lot. The 1880 History of Delaware County notes that the residents of Kingston Township took pride in their honesty, sobriety, and hospitality. Some of those qualities may have been gained from attending services at one of the more notable churches in the township. Instead of the church being the intended white color, there was something wrong with the paint they used that gave it a bluish cast. The parishioners took a lot of teasing about their “blue” church and so the next time it needed a new coat of paint, they purposely used bright blue and embraced the name Blue Church. Although the structure is gone, the bell remains. Walk up to the bell and look at the letters. Take the 10th letter on the foundry side and put it in the 13th spot in the secret phrase. Liberty Township For this letter, venture to historic downtown Powell. You will be midway between the Olentangy and Scioto Rivers, in southern Delaware County. Named not for just one man, this two-story frame house on Olentangy Street is named for the two families that have owned it since its construction in 1889. At that time, Albert and Mary Martin raised three daughters in the home. (Mr. Martin was a telegraph operator for the Columbus and Toledo Railroad.) In 1928, Mary and Erwin Perry bought the house. (Mr. Perry was a surveyor and engineer and served as building superintendent for the O’Shaughnessy Dam.) Find this Victorian-style house and look at the street sign in the front yard. An arrow is in front of a letter.