New at Old York
Treasure at the Hancock Wharf
By Mary Harding
Curator of Contemporary Art
George Marshall Store Gallery
The John Hancock Warehouse and George Marshall Store each hold hidden treasure: a cache of postcards in one and contemporary artwork in the other. For more information, visit Old York’s website at www.oldyork.org.
Courtesy photo
The John Hancock Warehouse and the George Marshall Store document 300 years of commercial life along the York River. Of the many wharves and warehouses that fronted the river in the 18th century, the John Hancock Warehouse is the only remaining commercial building from the Colonial period.
The wharves were the center of commerce and the river, the town's major highway. Consequently, York had a more cosmopolitan outlook and influence than most inland communities of that time. Both buildings and the wharf are maintained by the Old York Historical Society, and although things aren't as busy as they were in centuries past, the site still remains a destination for many.
As curator of contemporary art in the George Marshall Store for the past 12 years I have a bird's eye view of the comings and goings at this site. I can usually spot the visitors "from away" who are visiting the historic buildings for the first time. They often ask is disbelief "Is this the ‘real' John Hancock?" I recognize some regulars who enjoy stopping for ten or fifteen minutes to sip a cup of coffee, take in the view and just pause before continuing with their day. I am always amazed when a resident of York just happens upon the site for the first time and says "I had no idea that this was here." If your travels don't take you down Lindsay Road you are missing one of the prettiest and most historic roads in town.
And then there are those visitors who know exactly what they are looking for and they are coming from all over the country to find it. They are geocachers, and the Hancock Wharf happens to be a geocache site. Geocaching is a worldwide game dedicated to GPS (Global Positioning System) users. The game involves a GPS user hiding "treasure" and publishing the exact coordinate so other GPS users can come on a "treasure hunt" to find it. Clues to find the site are found at http://www.geocaching.com/.
The treasure at the Hancock Wharf is a postcard cache and the rules are quite simple: If you take a postcard from the cache, which in this case is a small waterproof box, you must leave something behind and you must write about your visit in the logbook. As the web site says geocaching is open to everyone with a GPS and a sense of adventure.
The first entry in the logbook is dated August 2003 and since then visitors have logged in from all over including Texas, Florida, California and Ireland. Many entries comment on the beautiful view and the history lesson.
Some cache hunters try to keep a low profile as they don't want to give away the hiding place to people passing by. One entry says, "The woman from the Historical Society gave us some funny looks but we pressed on." I assume that entry must have been referring to me before I knew about the cache. I would see people looking around and innocently ask if they needed help or were looking for something. I know better now, and let them continue their search.
I am glad that geocaching has brought so many new visitors to the Hancock Wharf. What a great hobby to do as a family as it may take you to places you might otherwise never discover. Whether you take up the game or not, I do encourage you to visit these historic sites. The exhibits in the warehouse tell the story of life and industry on the York River and the exhibits of contemporary art in the George Marshall Store will bring you right up to the 21st century. Summer hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m.
