Inconspicuous and cryptic plaques scattered across Texas A&M’s campus have caught the attention of only a few observant students. With no official records or information available, the hunt to uncover their origins has become a mystery that a select few are determined to solve.
Not a trace of information exists online, nor does any known source explain how or why these puzzling plaques were placed — yet they’ve kept some Aggies on their toes. Some believe there are 12 in total, though no one knows for certain.
A group of Aggies, known as the “Plaque Hunters,” have been tracking down these hidden markers in an attempt to connect the dots.
Jacob Bonin ‘23 first learned about the plaques in 2020 when a fellow Corps of Cadets member pointed one out beneath Rudder Tower. The discovery intrigued him, but it wasn’t until years later that he decided to take action.
“I can’t let this die with me,” Bonin said. “We had no idea what we were getting into. We just knew we had to find more.”
Bonin formed a group chat to organize searches, bringing in students like interdisciplinary engineering sophomore Aaron Hickerson and Rebecca Strub ‘23. They soon realized that the plaques followed a pattern.
“The old ones have the original AMC logo on them and they’re not numbered,” Strub said. “The newer ones have a sleek black face with a number. We think they’re more recent.”
Hickerson, who first encountered a plaque as a freshman, said the group believes there are 12 plaques in total, referencing A&M’s “12th Man” tradition.
“We don’t know where it ends,” Hickerson said. “We’ve found numbers up to 10, but we don’t have all 10 yet.”
Strub, who has kept a detailed record of the hunt, noted how finding the plaques has deepened her appreciation for campus history.
“Finding these riddles requires one to think outside the box,” Strub wrote in her journal. “You definitely learn more about Aggieland as you’re searching for these riddles. I think that’s intentional.”
Interdisciplinary engineering doctoral student Andrea Porter came across one of the plaques while geocaching with her father. She later wrote about it in a blog post on Aggie Voice, which led to renewed interest.
“I have no idea who put them there, but I really think they were amazing and glad they did,” Porter said.
The origins of the plaques remain unknown. Some speculate that a student created them as a lasting legacy, while others believe they could be tied to a university organization such as the Traditions Council. Bonin discovered a reference to an A&M-sponsored scavenger hunt in 2017, but it remains unclear whether the plaques are connected.
“There’s just nothing online about it,” Hickerson said. “I’ve read every Battalion article since 2019, every Aggieland yearbook and I’ve found nothing. Either it’s new, or it was meant to stay hidden.”
As the hunt continues, the group worries that time is running out. Some of the members are close to graduating and without new participants, the search may stall before the final plaques are located.
“I just want to commend the people who put this together,” Porter said. “Whether it was a student, a professor or an organization, they created something special. It’s brought people together in a way they probably never imagined.”
Hickerson encourages anyone interested in joining the hunt to reach out.
“The more, the merrier,” Hickerson said. “We just want to solve it.”
Update as of April 3.
Strub recently noted that six of the original eight plaques have been removed. With no knowledge of the plaque’s whereabouts or when they will return, the mystery remains unsolved.
