The Houston Solution

Hermann Park, Houston, TX.

Image 8

Verse 1

 1)       Fortress north

2)       Cold as glass

3)       Friendship south

4)       Take your task

5)       To the number

6)       Nine eight two

7)       Through the wood

8)       No lion fears

9)       In the sky the water veers

10)   Small of scale

11)   Step across

12)   Perspective should not be lost

13)   In the center of four alike

14)   Small, split,

15)   Three winged and slight

16)   What we take to be

17)   Our strongest tower of delight

18)   Falls gently

19)   In December night

20)   Looking back from treasure ground

21)   There’s the spout!

22)   A whistle sounds.

1)       Fortress north

2)       Cold as glass

This refers to the Glassell School of Art, which is located several hundred yards north of the Grand Gateway (the main entrance) to Hermann Park.  When Byron was there it had fortress-like walls that were made of glass (see photo below left).  This is the puzzle’s starting point.

Glassell School of Art Friendship Pavilion

3)       Friendship south

This refers to the Friendship Pavilion (see photo above right).  It was a bicentennial gift from the City of Taipei to the City of Houston and is located on the northeast side of the park several hundred yards from the main entrance.  This tells us that we should enter Hermann Park from the north (main) entrance and follow Hermann Park Drive around the east side.

4)       Take your task

5)       To the number

6)       Nine eight two

This clue tells us that we should continue around the east side of the park until we reach the Southern Pacific steam engine number 982, which was on display along the southeast side of McGovern Lake when Byron was there (see photos below).

Southern Pacific steam engine 982 on display along the southeastern side of McGovern Lake

1981 Aerial view of steam engine beside lake, fountain, and four trees alike

7)       Through the wood

8)       No lion fears

This refers to Cypress Grove on the south side of McGovern Lake, across from the entrance to the zoo (see photo above).  The connection being that the definition of grove is a small “wood” or group of trees.  This clue continues to lead us around the Lake in a clockwise direction.

9)       In the sky the water veers

This clue refers to the fountain that used to be located in the western area of McGovern Lake (see photo above).

10)   Small of scale

11)   Step across

This refers to the miniature train that gives rides through Hermann Park.  It’s saying that we should “Step across” its small-scale tracks (see photo below left).

12)   Perspective should not be lost

This suggests that we should position ourself so that our perspective aligns with that of the objects in the painting.  In the photo below left, the diagonal yellow line extending down and to the right represents the alignment of the treasure with the fountain and the locomotive’s smokestack (see photo above).  The zigzag white line represents the small-scale railroad tracks that we need to “Step across”.  And the red arrow represents our perspective when standing in line with the train bridge.  Just like the image below right, we are looking down the train tracks in front of us, with a tree to our right (the column in the painting) and the treasure on the near side and to the right of that tree.

Inset taken from above photo      Perspective in painting

13)   In the center of four alike

14)   Small, split,

15)   Three winged and slight

This clue is telling us that, after we “Step across” the small-scale railroad tracks, we should seek the center of four things “alike” with features that are “Small, split, Three winged and slight”.  This likely refers to four small trees of the same type (represented by the four white dots in the photo above left) with leaves that have three wing-shaped sections (see photo below).

Post oak leaf

 16)   What we take to be

17)   Our strongest tower of delight

18)   Falls gently

19)   In December night

The first two lines are the beginning of a quote from Herman Melville, affirmation that Hermann Park is the correct park.  But the last two lines have been modified to facilitate this puzzle.  They refer to the leaves of a deciduous tree (such as a post oak), which “Falls gently In December night” (during the winter season).

20)   Looking back from treasure ground

21)   There’s the spout!

22)   A whistle sounds.

This tells us that, when “Looking back from treasure ground” [from the treasure's location], we should be able to line up the fountain in McGovern Lake with the prominent silver smokestack on the Southern Pacific steam engine on the far side of the lake.  These objects should line up with a location that is “In the center of four alike” trees, where the treasure is buried.

Current Status of the Houston Treasure

In spite of the fact there has been significant alterations to the landscape in this area, it appears this casque might still be exactly where Byron buried it.  The primary complications being that the locomotive, the fountain, the miniature train tracks, and three of the four trees surrounding the treasure are no longer where they used to be.  The three best ways of dealing with this are:

1. Research the exact location where locomotive 982 was displayed.

2. Try to locate the exact spot where the fountain in McGovern Lake used to be located.  The original plumbing for that fountain location might still exist at the bottom of the lake.

3. Employ GPR in the area of the northwest side of the lake, in the middle of where the four oak trees used to be.