Welcome to the story of Sara and the Brewer's Bible.
Within this story are the clues you need to help Sara solve the challenges she
encounters. Each time a story challenge is solved, it adds another level to your
eChallengeCoin and continues the story.
The story also contains two new Easter Eggs which have no effect on the
challenges but have been included for bragging rights.
Press ENTER when you are ready!
Sara sat at her favorite breakfast joint just off DuPont Circle. It was a
gorgeous Saturday morning for April in the city and Sara had no real plans. As
she enjoyed her espresso and a feta cheese and egg sandwich she glanced at the
newspaper left by a previous customer. The real estate section was "well read"
and Sara assumed the person was house hunting.
Sara was more than happy with her condo but would enjoy seeing a few homes on
such a nice day ... well, except for the horrible DC traffic.
One listing caught Sara's attention. She was always keen for any opportunity to
see some of the older buildings and homes in the city. It was rare to get a look
inside one of the few remaining wooden homes as most had long since been
replaced with brick or multistory buildings.
The listing was not overly detailed but the price seemed ridiculous - at over $3
million - considering the photo showed a narrow 2 story home, with driveway,
stuck between two much larger brick homes.
Checking out what made this home justify its price seemed like a fun way to
spend a Saturday afternoon.
With that settled, Sara punched in the address and requested an Uber. Soon she
was crisscrossing the city to Georgetown.
When she arrived at 1309 35th Street NW, things started to make a bit more
sense. This was not just an old house; it was on the historic registry. A dark
bronze plaque was near the front door. It identified the house as the
"Bussard-Newman House, 1809 Daniel Bussard". There was also a second building on
the property behind a gate. It looked like it had once been a carriage house.
Sara proceeded up the walk and opened the front door. She was quickly greeted by
the real estate agent. After making small talk, Sara managed to break free when
a couple arrived behind her. Clearly the couple looked more of the "buying
type".
The interior was very modern but the house still had hints of its past. When
Sara reached the kitchen, there was an old woman sitting at a small dining nook.
She looked sad and in contemplation. Sara apologized if she was interrupting and
the woman said it was not a bother at all and introduced herself. Her name was
Janet Marosh, the owner of the house. Sara apologized again for the interruption
and went on about the house.
It was clear that all of the previous owners had made alterations to the house.
There were still some elements that were either original or nearly so but they
were limited to stone work and masonry.
Toward the back of the house was a small sitting room. The fireplace was
especially unique with a carved frieze flanked by square tiles depicting a
woman's face. Unlike the rest of the house which was modern and bright, this
room felt more lived-in. The walls were paneled and the art work was mostly
paintings of old buildings.
Directly above the fireplace was a coat of arms for the "Bussard Famille". Below
the insignia, was a family tree, written in many hands and inks. It started with
Daniel, who was actual Jr, and then his father Daniel who was from Lorraine,
France, and his mother Eva. From there it remained in France for several more
generations.
On either side of the fireplace were framed letters. On the left was a letter to
James Madison making a request for a local Magistrate. On the right was a letter
to Jean-Guillaume Hyde de Neuville at the French embassy and a personal reply to
Daniel Bussard which read "Veuillez considerer qu'il serait plus avantageux pour
toutes les personnes interessees si vous pouviez fournir une biere adaptee a
notre sensibilite francaise. Votre tres humble et obeissant serviteur - G. hyde
Neuville". Sara's French was rusty but she discerned they were corresponding on
some type of business arrangement.
Just below the letter to Jean-Guillaume, was a painting - and old monochromatic
painting of a building and the stone arch over the entrance read "Georgetown
Brewery". In the corner was the date "1809". The building did not look familiar
and Sara considered herself pretty good at scouting local beer and pubs! She was
keen to know more about the Brewery and where to find it.
Sara wandered through the rest of the house. It seemed to go on and on but was
unremarkable from the inside. Walking between the two buildings, the
architecture looked disjointed. Clearly the asking price was based on location
and pedigree more than historical accuracy.
Sara had lost track of time as she returned through the main house. Everyone had
left, including the real estate agent. When she came through the kitchen, she
startled Mrs. Marosh. This time, Sara's apology was much more emphatic. Still,
Mrs. Marosh was gracious and said the day had been a long one and was about to
have some tea and invited Sara to join her.
They sat for a bit and then Mrs. Marosh asked Sara how she liked the house. Sara
explained that the truth was she was not actually looking to buy and was always
interested in seeing some of DC's older architecture. Mrs. Marosh sat quietly
for a moment before admitting she was not actually eager to sell. She and her
husband had owned the house for nearly 40 years. They purchased it a few years
after they moved to DC. Her husband had spent his entire career working at the
Pakistan Embassy. It was a good life and he was able to walk to work almost
every day. Sadly, it did not make for a large nest egg. When he passed a couple
years ago, she only had half his pension. She was selling the house because she
could no longer afford it.
Sara didn't want to drum up more sad memories so she used a bit of social
engineering to steer the conversation. She switched the topic to how bright and
airy the house felt and the contrast of the masculine feeling she had from the
small sitting room.
Mrs. Marosh welcomed the change in topic. Yes, much of the house had been
remodeled over the years but her husband - and likely previous men of the house
- kept the study much as it was when Daniel Bussard built the house. "You know",
Mrs. Marosh leaned in to say, "They say that Mr. Bussard was a dedicated civil
servant and member of his church as well as a successful businessman ... but
they also say not all of his dealings were above board." Sara paused a moment
and then gave a raised eyebrow to express a subtle sly understanding.
Sara took the opportunity to ask about the pictures in the room and was
especially curious about the "brewery painting". Mrs. Marosh chuckled, "that old
thing ... it came with the house when we bought it." She then went on to add,
"You know, most of the items in the house are for sale too", with a subtle wink.
"But don't ask about the letters. Those are just reproductions. The originals
are in the Georgetown Historical Archive."
Sara didn't want to get overly excited and definitely didn't want to show excess
enthusiasm but she was very interested in the painting and so she and Mrs.
Marosh negotiated a price before finishing their tea.
Sara said it was time for her to be on her way. Mrs. Marosh fetched the painting
from the study and wrapped it in an old towel. Meanwhile Sara wrote out a check
and then clicked on her home address for an Uber.
Back at her flat, Sara unwrapped the painting and propped it up on the coffee
table before sinking into her favorite chair. She pulled out her laptop and
started to search for information on the Georgetown Brewery and Daniel Bussard.
There was not much to go on. Most searches for "Georgetown Brewery" were for a
current pub in Seattle. So, she reached for the painting to see more details. It
was pretty dark and there was not much to see in the painting. Perhaps the
purchase was a bit impulsive?
Throwing caution to the wind, Sara went to the kitchen and got some warm water
with a tiny bit of lemon juice, some white lint-free towels, and a soft brush.
She dabbed a towel in the liquid and gently swirled a small spot near the
corner. It brought up a lot of brown stain and dirt but seemed to be safe for
the paint. She proceeded to work the entire painting over the next several
hours. When she was done, the painting looked amazing. That is when she felt the
back of the canvas was wet.
She quickly flipped the painting over and started gently pressing towels to the
back to absorb the excess water - all the while hoping she had not done any
permanent damage. The canvas had curled along the bottom. She went to press it
flat, which is when she saw faint hand writing from an old quill pen. It said,
"The accumulation of my sins is within my house. My good book is in my Lord's
house. My faith has no secrets. My book does."
"My book has secrets?" Sara had to think about that for barely a moment before
her mind started to spin. "What does it mean?" "What book?"
That night Sara could not sleep. She tossed and turned as she pondered the
writing. Finally, at 4AM, she gave up and got out of bed and made an espresso.
She suspected it would not be the last she would need that day.
She pulled out one of her notebooks and wrote down what she knew - the house
address, the original owner, Mrs. Marosh's rumor about his work and life,
details in the painting, and not least, the message on the back of the canvas.
She kept coming back to asking herself, "what book" and "where"? The message
said, "good book" and "Lord's house" so perhaps it was a bible. But where?