Choc

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Hidden On: 03 Feb 2003
Waypoint (Landmark): N0191E
Open Cache:  Non-commercial use only
Cache type:  Virtual
Cache size:   Virtual

Difficulty:  (easy)
Terrain:  (easy)

Misc:

Comments:
The property is open during daylight hours only. Wheelchairs should be able to make it, but it is a tight fit near the trees.

His parents and his large extended family called him Charley. Friends called him Choc. By what names did newspapers and lawmen refer to him? You won't find any of those names here, but if you can't figure out who he was, we'll tell you. To claim this cache, e-mail us a brief description of the trees planted directly to the west of his headstone, and include one of his more well-known nicknames, if you know Charley's public persona.

One of his ancestors fought against the Spanish Armada and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I. Another distant relative signed the Declaration of Independence. His little brother became a respected county sheriff. Twenty-seven family members attended the local First Baptist Church. None of that explains the crowd that turned out for his funeral, estimated at 10,000 to 50,000!

It was not a dignified turn-out, either. The sheer press of people trampled graves and turned over headstones. Some enjoyed picnics, using tombstones for tables or seats. Special guards tried in vain to keep photographers out, while deputies struggled to keep a path clear and chairs reserved for the mourning family. Charley's sister Mary yanked a newspaper photographer out of a tree, as the family fought their way through the crowd to the grave side. Before he spoke the eulogy, minister W. E. Rockett rebuked the bystanders, telling them to show respect for the dead man and his family.

After the funeral, people scrambled for clods of dirt from the grave, to take home as souvenirs. They stripped leaves and bark from the trees in the cemetery, and tore the curtains from the hearse. Every one of the thousands of flowers on Charley's grave was stolen, to be pressed and preserved in family Bibles. You can see that the headstone has been chipped at by vandals. It is not the original; several stones have been destroyed over the years by souvenir hunters, and the entire stone was stolen once. Take photos if you wish, but please be respectful of this place, and we ask that you do not post any spoilers here.

Click To Rate This Cache

This was a 30 mile drive for me, but well worth it. Beautiful country, and a pretty cemetery.
TFTC.

  Headstone with GPS