THE BACKSTORY
Betrayed by
a Mason?
The basis of the novel revolves around the torture death of American prisoner Lt. Thomas Boyd at the hands of British Freemasons in 1779. The PDF to the left gives and in-depth background assessment of the events surrounding that infamous incident. Below are maps, photos, links, and illustrations pertaining to research conducted for the plot.
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New York State and Seneca County maps
1850 Map of Seneca County's Romulus area on Seneca Lake
1779 campaign map by Colonel Dearborn. Shows route of Sullivan's march heading north from Catherine's Town (present day Watkins Glen) on bottom of map below Seneca Lake, all the way up and to the west towards the Genesee River.
1779 Groveland Ambush depicted in an 1879 map
Continental Army scout reenactor firing his weapon. Typical woodland attire that Thomas Boyd's scouts would have been dressed in. Photo by Jim W. Filipski.
Illustration of Freemason Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant - alllie of the British, leader of Iroquois warriors fighting against the American rebels.
Iroquois warrior illustration and brief history.
An illustration of one of British Colonel John Butler's Rangers who operated out of Old Fort Niagara with Brant's Iroquois warriors. This combined wilderness guerilla force was undoubtedly the fiercest and most brutal British unit of the Revolutionary War.
Butler's Rangers medal unit insignia dug up from Old Fort Niagara excavation.
Present day tree where the American scout prisoners Thomas Boyd and Michael Parker were murdered by Little Beard's Seneca warriors on September 14, 1779. Thomas Boyd's intestines were cut out, nailed to the tree, and he was made to walk around it until his guts unwound from his body. This was just one small aspect to the torture inflicted upon him for revenge of Sullivan's troops burning 40 Indian villages and crops.
Historical marker at Boyd - Parker torture site.
Thomas Boyd and Michael Parker stone memorial at torture tree site.
Cranberry Marsh woods. The view Jake Tununda had as he entered the marsh in search of the trapped victim. Just ahead is the small island the Indian grave was found on and where the hunter had fallen in a well shaft.
Main entrance to Old Fort Niagara's south redoubt.
Reenactor in British infantryman period uniform cradling a Brown Bess musket. French Castle (main structure within Old Fort Niagara) is in background. The same scene Jake Tununda had when he entered the fort with the executive director of the association.
Parade ground and French Castle within Old Fort Niagara. The grounds in front of the castle had soldiers barracks and storage buildings. It was here that a team of archaeologists from SUNY Buffalo found the Boyd Box while excavating a stone foundation.
French Castle fortress.
Inside French Castle at Old Fort Niagara. Up stairs, turn left down corridor and into old commandant's office.
Thomas Boyd's powder horn. Photo courtesy of Rick Losey.
Last page from Lt. Thomas Boyd's journal discovered at Old Fort Niagara. Notice the ripped lower right corner where the Freemason Cipher is torn in half.
Southeast shore of Seneca Lake. Early Native American symbols with contemporary American additions. An Indian chief was killed here by Sullivan's scouts. Also the supposed site where Sullivan's cannon of gold (stuffed with confiscated British gold) accidentally fell off cliff and sunk in water below.
The horse stables and pasture near where Boyd's keg of loot is buried. Located between the McMillan creeks south of Conesus Lake at the site of the old Indian village named Kanaghsaws.
Foot soldier's powder keg used in Revolutionary War period. Similar to what Thomas Boyd and Sean McTavish stored their war loot in and what Jake and Joe Tununda dig up south of Conesus Lake.
British Gold Guineas - as found in Boyd's buried keg of loot.
Mennonite farmers in Seneca County, as Jake Tununda would have encountered on his drive to Kendaia.
A late summer shot of the beautiful rural landscape of Seneca County.
Romulus Historical Society in Willard, NY
Largest of the Three Bears Courthouses in Ovid, NY. Where Stanton and Hart met.
Seneca Army Depot 3D map drawn by Michael Karpovage of mapformation.com
White deer inside the Seneca Army Depot.
A white deer along the Seneca Army Depot perimeter patrol road paralleling Route 96A.
Seven-point white deer buck "Handsome Hank" on Seneca Army Depot land. Photo courtesy of Wild66.com
Faded Depot warning sign
Triple rows of electrified barbed wire fencing ringing the highly protected Q-Area of the Seneca Army Depot. The middle row was electrified at 2,400 volts. Same view Jake Tununda had as he entered for his recon.
A row of Q-Area igloo storage bunkers. These are concrete bunkers with a half barrel roof shape which are then buried under three feet of earth with only the entrance doors and a protective steel security cage around them being exposed.
Steel security barrier cage around blast doors of Q-Area Bunker A0209. A large concrete block would have normally been positioned inside the cage in front of the blast doors as the next physical barrier.
Q-Area Bunker A0209 close up. Notice the two large box-shaped square locks. The commander of the base would have one key and the head of security the other. Both men had to be present in order for the locks to be open.
"King Tut" cement blocks used for physical bunker security barrier. These 2,000 lbs. blocks were lifted by heavy machinery and slid down into two "male" steel sleeves that protruded from the ground to form a tight intercourse with the two "female" hollowed out rectangular holes.
Inside view of a typical igloo storage bunker on Seneca Army Depot. The one Jake entered in the Q-Area was double in size and had a vehicle ramp going underground. The ramp led down to the subterranean personnel survival levels in case of nuclear attack. Photo courtesy of Seneca White Deer, Inc.
Seneca Army Depot Airfield control tower. It sits behind Rae Hart's State Police barracks. It's where Alex Nero has his press conference announcing the purchase of the Depot lands. The arsonist blows this structure up.
NYS Police barracks at Depot Airfield
The stone foundation of Wilhelm Van Vleet's farmhouse on Seneca Depot property.
Brook ravine where Indian cave is hidden according to Freemason Cipher code found in Boyd's journal. On Depot lands east of railroad tracks and airfield.
Honyost Thaosagwat's grave marker at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester, NY.
Sgt. Michael Parker's grave marker at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester, NY.
Thomas Boyd's grave marker at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York. R.I.P. Brother.
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