An age-old Monadnock question

Folks,

I've found most points of interest on Monadnock, with the exception of the Spy Cave. By this I do not mean Pumpelly Cave aka Megalithia (which many people conflate with the Spy Cave); but instead the small triangular cavity associated with the WWI (or WWII) legend. See the following link for pictures of Spy and Pumpelly Caves:

http://monadnockvista.smugmug.com/Hiking/Monadnock-Hikes/Monadadnock-The-Spy-Cave/

My request is as follows: would any of you tell me the bearing (distance and direction) to the Spy Cave from Pumpelly? Either on this forum or privately? Either way, this method keeps the mystery of the location intact since someone would have to find one to find the other.

Thanks,

Steve H.

I can't help you with the bearing, but I was curious about this "WW1 or WW2 legend." A little googling turned up a tidbit that it was used by a German spy in WW1 who had a beacon sending signals to ships. Well, there certainly was U-boat activity along the East Coast, but gosh, Monadnock is awfully far away from the coast in terms of its elevation relative to the linear distance! It seems totally implausible, but I'd be interested to hear how this story got started. Finding the answer probably involves searching local newspapers for that period... likely more trouble than it's worth.

I agree that the spy thing is a fantasy...why would the Germans station him so far from the coast and how would he slip into and out of place...a sheer fantasy...nevertheless the small cavity identified with this does exist.

The lights on Monadnock people saw were a product of wartime paranoia. Most of the people reporting lights were summer visitors and not local residents. They were easily explained away at the time as twinkling stars and car headlights on distant roads. The newspapers blew the whole thing out of proportion with the unsolved murder of William K Dean in East Jaffrey in 1918 who was supposed to have reported seeing lights himself and rented a house to a man with a German-sounding name who subsequently disappeared. Monadnock is an improbable signalling location and no evidence was ever found in or near the "Spy Cave" that it was anything more than an occasional camping spot and dumping ground.

Whether you believe the various versions of the spy story or not is up to each individual. The fact is there is a small cave on Monadnock which is called the Spy Cave. And like the many other locations and artifacts on the mountain the stories, true or not, all add to the lure of finding them.

Thanks, evilhanz, you gave exactly the information I was looking for. And kerry13, I agree with you that legends and true history alike give interest to these places. In this case, the interest comes more from seeing an example of the amazing hysteria that springs up sometimes in wartime.

And thanks to someone who helped me with my question.

Steve

Colenso said:

Thanks, evilhanz, you gave exactly the information I was looking for. And kerry13, I agree with you that legends and true history alike give interest to these places. In this case, the interest comes more from seeing an example of the amazing hysteria that springs up sometimes in wartime.

Click to expand...

Hello All,

I must admit my question is pretty much off topic, but has anyone heard any local legends regarding the WWII bunker at Odiorne Point in Portsmouth? Technically this is a park so I am not too far out of line with the original thread, but I have heard of some strange goings on in the bunker complex. The tales are hearsay at best, but intriguing nonetheless.

My apologies if I have de-railed the this thread,

Z