Firsthand Guide to Letterboxing: Historians' Challenge

Please Note: Letterboxes are removed for the winter and are put back in place during the spring.

Become a history sleuth while challenging yourself to find 13 brand-new letterbox locations. The Warren County Historians’ Challenge is a fun and free letterboxing adventure, a sequel to the First Wilderness Heritage Corridor, that will take you to a historic site chosen by local municipal historians in each of the eleven towns and one city.

An additional, unique component to the Historian’s Challenge is “Where in Warren County is Jeanne Robert Foster?”. This 13^th mystery location is not shown on the letterboxing map. You will need to visit all other 12 locations to compile clues and solve the riddle to locate the American poet and Warren County’s most famous resident.

What is Letterboxing?

Letterboxing is a fun, scavenger hunt activity for all ages that incorporates orienteering and puzzle solving. A “letterbox”, the British term for mailbox, is hidden in a public, scenic location. The hobby dates back to the mid-1800s and became popularized in North America in the late 90s – there are now over 90,000 active letterboxes across the continent.

How It Works: The first step is to obtain a Passport. Click here to print one out and put it together yourself, or pick up a Passport for free at a variety of locations around Warren County. Click here for a map of all the places you can pick one up.

At each location, you will search for a hidden, weatherproof box using the riddle in your Passport. Upon finding the box, use the hand-carved stamp and inkpad to mark your Passport; go ahead and fill in the date, add a comment, and flip to the last page to copy over the riddle from the bottom of the box. Make sure to leave everything how and where you found it for the next letterboxer.

Once you have located Jeanne Robert Foster and collected all 13 stamps you can turn in your Passport to receive a Historians’ Challenge completion certificate and embroidered patch. For more information on how to turn in your passport, click here.

The Scenic Route

Although you do not have to complete the letterboxing challenge in order, or all at once, Dan Forbush and Bill Walker from Cliff & Redfield Interactive traversed the entire county in less than 24 hours on a route designed by Sara Frankenfeld, Warren County GIS Administrator, and the Planning Department, to learn more about the history that makes up the Lake George Area. View the video from their successful endeavor here.

Letterboxing Locations & Tips

The Warren County Historians’ Challenge will take you to both populated and rural parts of the region. Gas stations and cell phone service can be sparse in certain areas. It is recommended to fill up your tank and familiarize yourself with the general area of letterbox locations beforehand. All of these letterboxes are located outside. Some are on private property, so it is asked that you be considerate of the landowners. And, if you are hiking, make sure to dress appropriately, bring water, follow trail markers, leave no trace, and always check yourself for ticks after spending time in the woods. Do not letterbox after dark.

Lake George Area’s Letterboxing Gallery:

Read up on the history of all these locations, and Jeanne Robert Foster, on the official website for the Warren County Historians’ Challenge. Here are photos from each spot as we traveled around the county to fill up our Passport:

1. Prospect Mtn. Old Cog Railway

Imported Image

*Passports list the address as 75 Smith Street. The trailhead, and where you will want to go to find the letterbox, is on Cooper Street. Veterans Memorial Highway is open from May - November if you are unable to hike and want to drive to the summit to see a cog from the old railway.