Lynn, Lynn the City of ... LbNA #24680

Clues updated: March 20, 2011

Difficulty: 1
Terrain: 2
Time: 1 to 1.5 Hours
Distance: 2 miles round trip
Other Information: No ink. Bring your own ink. Logbook in the last box only.
Other Letterboxes nearby: Dungeon Rock and Stone Tower

Where it is: Lynn Woods Reservation.
106 Pennybrook Road, off of Walnut Street, Lynn MA.
For more information about Lynn Woods: City of Lynn - Lynn Woods or Friends of Lynn Woods
Trail maps are usually available at the information board at the entrance to the reservation, but don't count on it. I highly recommend you print the trail map and bring it with you. Trail Map.

Lydia Pinkham Letterbox

Lydia Pinkham developed one of the best known patent medicines of the 19th century. Her image represents all great women who have ties to Lynn, including Mary Baker Eddy and Maria Mitchell.

Start on the dirt road to the left of the information board. You will see a path on the right about 10 steps up the dirt road. Turn onto this path. Just a few steps down the path you will see a large tree on the left. Just past this tree you will see a medium sized rock just off the path to the left. The Lydia Pinkham letterbox is hidden behind this rock.

General Electric Letterbox

General Electric is credited as having it start in Schenectady, New York and this is true. However General Electric was actually formed in 1892 out of a merger between Edison General Electric Company in Menlo Park, NJ and the Thomson-Houston Electric Company in Lynn. Additionally the first jet engine was built in Lynn and the first baseball game played at night under the lights was played at GE field in Lynn.

Continue on the path and pass another path merging from a grass filed on the right. The path will soon fork. Go right at the fork into a clearing. About ¾ of the way through the clearing you will see some stairs to the left. This is the beginning of Jackson Path and the intersection is marked with C7-5 (Note: these markers will tell you exactly where you are on the map you should have printed. C7 is the grid box and the 7 is the intersection within the block.) Follow Jackson Path by climbing the stairs. As you ascend you will see Breed’s Pond to your right. Soon you will come to intersection C7-4. Briefly leave Jackson Path by turning left at this intersection. A short distance down the new path you will see a hollow tree stump. Next to the stump you will see two medium sized rocks. The General Electric Letterbox is next to the first rock under bark and some smaller rocks.

Marshmallow Fluff Letterbox

In 1920, H. Allen Durkee and Fred L. Mower formed a partnership and started to produce confections that included Marshmallow Fluff. In the early days they produced their goods out of their kitchen and sold them door-to-door. Once the business outgrew their kitchen, they opened up a company on Brookline Street in Lynn where it still resides today.

Return to Jackson Path at intersection C7-4 and turn left continuing on Jackson Path going gradually uphill. When you get to the crest of the path, you will be on a large ledge. Continue across the ledge and start downhill on the rock lined path with more stairs. At the bottom you will cross a boardwalk. Continue on towards intersection D7-3 (Dungeon Rock). When you first see the intersection up ahead, stop and look to your left. You will see many boulders off trail in the woods. Facing the boulders, look to the largest boulder. It is the one furthest to the left. Go to this boulder. The Marshmallow Fluff Letterbox is under the corner of this boulder closest to the intersection you were approaching.

Thomas Veal Letterbox - 3/20/2011 Box has been replaced in a slightly different location.

Thomas Veal was a pirate in the 1600s. He is said to have hid in Dungeon Rock in order to escape capture. It is also believed that he hid his loot in Dungeon Rock or perhaps some nearby location and it is still there today.

Continue on Jackson Path until you get to the intersection with Waycross Road (not marked as Waycross Road but take my word for it). The intersection is marked D7-3. Continue across Waycross Road toward Dungeon Rock. You will come to some stairs. Climb the stairs all the way to the top to Dungeon Rock. About 2/3 the way up the path levels off. Stay straight to the remaining stairs.

At the top of the stairs you will see lots of rock fragments. These are the remnants of the dig into the cave. When you get to Dungeon Rock go look at the door. It was locked the day I planted the boxes but it is open on occasion. If it is open and have a good flashlight explore the dungeon if you dare. When you are done observing, walk away from the entrance. From the entrance look across the remnants and you will see a large boulder straight ahead. To the right of this boulder you should see a large dead tree that has the far end resting on another boulder. On the right hand side of this boulder,under an overhang and buried with small rocks, you will find the Thomas Veal Letterbox. Be careful about reaching in because some of the rocks in this area are very sharp. Be sure to cover with rocks again when you replace the box.

Now if you did your pre-hike homework, you may want to take a side trip here to find the Dungeon Rock and the Stone Tower Letterboxes. This would be the best spot to veer off and start hunting for them. Otherwise…..

Lynn Classical Letterbox

I had to include Lynn Classical and Lynn English for two reasons. The first is because I was always told that Lynn started a tradition of sorts. You see, when they built the two high schools they supposedly built Lynn Classical in the shape of a “C” and Lynn English in the shape of an “E”. Further, some cities across the country followed suit in this unofficial tradition when they built Classical and English high schools. The second reason is because I really liked the graphics I found and thought they would make great stamps.

Go back down the stairs from Dungeon Rock and get back to the intersection of Waycross Road (D7-3). Turn right on to Waycross Road. The road climbs uphill gradually. You will soon come to intersection C7-3 marked on a tree on the left. Take a left on the small path and take 12 steps. Turn right and take 8 steps to a medium sized rock. The Lynn Classical letterbox is located behind this rock under some pine needles and a small rock.

Lynn English Letterbox

Return to Waycross Road and continue in the same direction you were going. Very shortly you will come to intersection C7-2. From the C7-2 intersection marker walk 25 steps further down Waycross to a large pine on the left with two green trail markers on it. 8 steps to the left of this tree is a large rock. Behind the large rock is the Lynn English Letterbox.

Thank you to dingus&dufus for letting me know about the hazard at the original location and moving the box.

Shoe City Letterbox

During the early to mid 1900's, the city of Lynn, Massachusetts was widely regarded as the hub of the shoemaking industry in the United States. Lynn was unofficially dubbed "The Shoe City". Even though the shoe industry has completely disappeared from Lynn, the nickname has stuck.

Return to Waycross Road and continue in the same direction you were going heading towards the intersection of Waycross and Pennybrook Roads (B7-1). Before you reach the intersection, Waycross Road will start to turn to the left. As you round the bend, you will see the intersection ahead. At this point stop and look left. You should see a very large tree stump approximately 15 feet tall (If you look closely, you will see a red 3 painted on it. Update, the park ranger has ground out the 3 so just look for a tall dead and decaying stump). About 20 feet into the woods behind the stump you should see a very large tree. The Shoe City Letterbox is located behind the large tree under a few small rocks.

North Shore Spirit Letterbox

Many minor league baseball teams and players have passed trough Lynn over the years. The most recent and current franchise in the city is the North Shore Spirit. Their home is the Fraser Field, which was adjacent to the recently demolished Manning Bowl.

I need to share a story with you. Back when my father was about 13 years old, (approximately 1941) he got a job selling Coca-Cola at Fraser Field. The Boston Red Sox were coming to play an exhibition game against their minor league team the Lynn Frasers. In those days, the players got dressed at Fenway and took a bus to the field. They also carried their own equipment. My dad, probably like many boys his age around that time, idolized Ted Williams. When the team bus pulled up, my dad ran to the bus and waited for Williams to get off. As soon as he saw Mr. Williams, he promptly started walking down the sidewalk next to his idol toward the field. Williams turned to my dad and said “hey kid wanna carry my glove” My dad was in heaven as he carried the greatest hitter in baseball’s glove during one of his greatest years.

We now return to your regularly scheduled program.

Return to Waycross road and continue to the intersection with Pennybrook Road (B7-1). Turn left onto Pennybrook Road and you will immediately see a narrow trail with blue markers on the right. Take this trail (there is a blue marker on the first tree on the left and a second one a few steps down the trail on a double trunk tree on the right). Follow this trail to the second blue marker that is on the right. It will be on a tree. Facing the second blue marker, look to the right about 8 feet off the trail. You will see another tree that is the same size as the blue marked tree. The North Shore Spirit Letterbox is at the base of the tree under a rock.

Lynn Woods Letterbox

Okay, long before most of what I have talked about and long after they are gone and only the memories live on, there has been Lynn Woods. What a great, great resource this is to the City of Lynn. Come on, admit it, you never knew this side of Lynn. To you Lynn has always been a “City” without much to brag about other than some past history. According to the City of Lynn website, Lynn Woods "is the second largest municipal park in the United States". It boasts three large ponds and 2200 acres of forest. To quote the Friends of Lynn Woods website, “This 2,200 acre forest reserve consists of ponds, wetlands, streams, deciduous/evergreen forest and rocky ledge. The ponds provide the drinking water for the residents of Lynn and surrounding communities. Wildlife abounds in the forest. Well over 100 species of birds inhabit or seasonally frequent the woods. A large rodent population supports such predators as hawks, owls and red tail fox. More than an aquifer, more than a wildlife preserve, more than a wilderness experience, Lynn Woods is a rare and unique adventure”.

Continue on the blue trail and you will soon see Pennybrook Road off to your left. A short distance further and you will see the Lynn Special Needs Camp through the woods up ahead to the left. When you see the camp, start looking for a blue marker on a tree on your right. Seven steps past the blue marked tree you should see a medium sized tree about 5 feet off trail to your right. Another 5 feet beyond that is a rock and another 5 feet beyond the rock is another small fur tree. Behind this last tree is the Lynn Woods Letterbox under a small rock. (If for some reason you missed the blue marked tree and find yourself at a “T” intersection marked B7-2, go back on the blue trail for 40 steps and look for the landmarks on the left).

Lynn Seal Letterbox

Follow the blue trail to a “T” intersection marked B7-2. Turn left and go to the paved road. Turn right on the paved road and follow this around past the amphitheater to the entrance to the Lynn Woods Rose Garden. Proceed through the gate to the Rose Garden and follow the path. After you pass through the archway, turn left at your first opportunity. Follow this through another archway and you will see two benches to your right. On your left is a memorial to John P. Morrissey. Straight ahead will be some stairs going down. Go to the top step and turn left. In the woods straight ahead you will see two very large pine trees. The Lynn Seal Letterbox and logbook is located at the base of the second pine tree under some sticks and pine needles.

... you never go out the way you came in.

Go back out to the stairs near the benches and turn left going down the stairs. This will bring you back to you car.