“Stand in front of the (Mico Kaufman’s Wamesit) Indian statue and stare him in the eye.
Now Turn around 180 degrees – facing the traffic lights and gas stations – with the Indian statue to your back.
Walk 44 paces.
As you walk you will see many large boulders lining the park and the road.
As you hit your 44th pace, you will see two side by side “flat” boulders.
Hidden in between, is your surprise!”

As a child, did you ever enjoy the challenges of a scavenger hunt?  The fun and excitement associated with finding clues and solving riddles still exists for children and adults alike through letterboxing, an activity that combines treasure hunting, adventure and stamp collecting.

Letterboxes are small, waterproof containers hidden in various public locations -think public parks or hiking trails- which contain a logbook, unique rubber stamp, and sometimes an ink pad.  When letterboxes have been successfully found, treasure hunters are encouraged to stamp their logbooks with the box’s stamp to record their findings.  Stamping the letterbox logbook with their own personal stamp keeps a written account of all the box’s visitors.

Popularity in this past time has grown substantially over the last 10 years as a result of the web and a 1998 Smithsonian Magazine article citing a similar unique English craze which began in 1854.  Now, with websites such as www.letterboxing.org, that post clues hinting at the location of letterboxes, over 20,000 boxes have been hidden just in North America alone, four of these in Tewksbury.  Finding a hunting ground is easy, as local towns have several as well. 

The next time you are feeling adventurous, grab a pencil, notebook, and ink pad and enjoy the challenge of finding letterboxes.  The quest for treasure awaits.