Pomfret School Puzzle Contest

Solutions

Take a birds-eye view of the Pomfret School campus, focusing on the front lawns. Notice that there is a perfectly straight line connecting the following five objects:

  • Flag pole in the driveway circle

  • One of the lamp posts along the sidewalk

  • The Proctor Sundial

  • The center seam of the front doors of Clark Chapel

  • (Inside the chapel) The speaking dais with a kneeling statue

You can prove to yourself these are in a perfectly straight line by standing with your back to the flag pole. Here’s what that looks like:

The solution for week #1 is LAMP POST.

This isn’t very much to go on since there are many lamp posts on campus. It’s also not obvious that the ultimate solution is built around campus landmarks. It’s just week #1 so it’s a starting point.

See solutions to Week #1 puzzles here.

The solution for week #2 is FLAG POLE.

Now we have two physical objects, and while it’s natural to try to connect them, it’s not yet obvious we’re talking about things on campus. Even if it was obvious, we don’t know which lamp post, and is there more than one flag pole?

Nonetheless, I won’t be surprised if some enterprising student(s) start walking around campus searching for other clues.

See solutions to Week #2 puzzles here.

The solution for week #3 is WRP 1912 which refers to the Proctor Sun Dial.

(The Sun Dial is a gift of William Ross Proctor to Pomfret School in 1912.)

Now with the third clue being a clear campus landmark, we can conclude there is something significant about the campus grounds. Perhaps someone will figure it out this week?

See solutions to Week #3 puzzles here.

The solution for week #4 is KNEELER.

This clue is a bit different than the others, because even though it’s a campus landmark, this one is indoors instead of outdoors.

See solutions to Week #4 puzzles here.

The solution for week #5 is “Traverse the patibulum.”

A patibulum is the crossbar of a crucifix. With this week’s clue, we are drawing attention to a line in plan view (from above) that is perpendicular to the line formed by the points defined by the previous four weeks.

If the line from the previous four weeks is the upright portion of the crucifix, this perpendicular line is like the cross bar.

When looking in plan view, the front wall of Clark Chapel forms the cross bar, i.e. the patibulum.

Puzzlers who figure this out, should naturally starting looking for hiding places along the front wall of Clark Chapel. It’s my expectation if the coin hasn’t been found yet, this is the week someone will figure it out.

See solutions to Week #5 puzzles here.

The solution for week #6 is as follows:

Peace, light, king and law etched upon the right;

Pilgrim treasure on the left, concealed behind the light.

Although this is articulated in the form of a riddle, the hope is to end the contest this week (if the coin hasn’t yet been discovered).

Peace, light, king and law refer to the carving on the lower right wall of the chapel. “Pax, Lux, Rex, Lex”

The ‘pilgrim treasure’ refers to the coin itself, which is hidden behind the light sconce on the left side of the chapel doors.