Reed Gold Mine, NC (1-4-14)
There really isn't any record of John Reed's reaction when he found out he had been duped though he did manage to recoup $1,000 from the dishonest jeweler. He took this tidy sum (about $16,000 in today's money) and set about starting his own mining operation on the banks of Little Meadow Creek. Over the next quarter century somewhere around $100,000 ($1.6 million today) of gold was mined from his property which had expanded to include over 2,000 acres of the surrounding countryside by the time of his death. After John Reed's death in 1845 the mine was sold and bought and sold again on numerous occasions with varying degrees of success in finding gold. The last big nugget was found on the property in 1896, a 23-pound whopper. By 1912 the prospects of finding new riches at the property finally faded and the mining operations along the Little Meadow Creek ceased for good.
The Reed discovery in 1799 was the first documented discovery of gold in the United States. It kicked off a gold rush in the Carolina's the likes of which wouldn't be seen again until the Sutter's Mill find in California in 1848. Today the old mill site and the surrounding property are recognized as a National Historic Landmark and is managed as a North Carolina State Historic Site. Interpretive trail lead you through one of the old mine shafts and past remnants of mining operations that took place here. The visitor center has some fine displays for a site this size and in the summer months you can even try your luck panning for a few gold flakes yourself. This is a quick winter tour of the site and my first visit. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the preservation and can say its one of the finest historic sites I've visited thus far in North Carolina...
Visitor Center
The exterior of the visitor center is suitably bland as it is reminiscent of other mining structures one might see...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Reed Gold Mine Site Map
Visitor Center
Inside was a surprisingly extensive series of displays concerning the history of gold mining...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Visitor Center
On display is a replica of one of the larger nuggets found at the mine...today it would be worth over half a million dollars!!!...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Visitor Center
In the back part of the visitor center are machinery displays showing equipment from both past and present...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Visitor Center
A couple old steam engines...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Visitor Center
An old water pump like what would have been found at the gold mine in the late-1800's...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
After looking around the visitor center we headed towards the mine...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Immediately behind the center are a few 'cradle rockers' which were used for separating gold from crushed rock...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Little Meadow Creek
The first site you pass on the interpretive loop is Little Meadow Creek. It was near here, in 1799, that young Conrad Reed discovered the first gold nugget on the property leading to over a century of mining in the area...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
A long wide boardwalk leads across the floodplain of Little Meadow Creek...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Placer Pits
Placer Pits...For the first 30 years mining took place on the surface, also known as placer mining, and many of the old pits are visible at various points along the trail...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Linker Adit Mine
Approaching the modern entrance to the Linker Adit Mine. Adit is a term for a type of mine shaft that is dug horizontally through a hillside...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
If you find any 28-pound gold nuggets, the State of North Carolina is gonna want them back...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Linker Adit Mine
Entering the Linker Adit mine shaft...the timbers are rustic looking but a completely modern addition, for stabilization...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Linker Adit Mine
Not far into the mine things start looking a bit more like they did 200-years ago with one exception (well two, if you count the electric lights)...the floor has been lowered as the original height of the shaft was a rather uncomfortable-for-modern-tourists five feet high...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Linker Adit Mine
White Quartz, which often contains gold, was an important find as this shaft was dug. A sample would be taken to be analyzed for traces of gold before removing the rest of the quartz. The fact that this vein remains largely untouched means they probably didn't find anything here...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Vein 4 "drift"
A "drift" is the space that is left over after a vein of quartz is removed. According to my guide, the size of this drift suggests that the quartz here was plentiful with gold. The round logs crisscrossing the drift are known as "stull timbers" and were used to support the shaft...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Kibble
Hiding behind the ladder here is a large iron bucket known as a "kibble". These kibbles had numerous duties. Aside from the obvious job of hauling ore to the surface they were also used to raise and lower equipment and miners to and from the mine...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Morgan Crosscut
From the Vein 4 area a crosscut shaft leads over to the Morgan Shaft and the other half of the mine tour...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Slicken-sided Surface
Here a smooth-faced outcrop of quartz shows you what the edge of a vein looked like after a sample had been removed from it to determine if the vein held any gold...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Morgan Shaft
Upon reaching the other end of the crosscut we found ourselves standing at the bottom of Morgan Shaft, some 50' beneath the surface...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Off to one side of the crosscut is what appears to be the remnants of an old ore cart. I was surprised to learn later on that while, yes, it indeed was an old ore cart, they were not used at the Reed Mine due to the small shaft sizes. Interesting that someone chose to include it here...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Vein 5 and Pneumatic Drill
This vein held very little gold though you wouldn't guess it by its depth. Also, like the ore cart of the last photo, this pneumatic drill was indeed used in gold mining but not until the 1880's and was this never used at the Reed Mine. While I enjoy seeing the old tools in their natural environment I wonder if many visitors are getting the wrong picture of what mining was actually like here unless they read the fine print in their brochures...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
The Gallery
We soon arrived at an area known as "The Gallery" from which we could see, behind a sturdy wooden barricade, the shaft that leads to Veins 3, 2, and 1 of the old Reed Mine which reach a maximum depth of 150' beneath the surface (about three times deeper than the point we were standing at here)...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
The Gallery
This area of Vein 4 was known as the gallery because of how high above this point ore was removed. The ceiling here is some 35' above us! Again, the thought is that a great deal of gold was removed from this area due to the amount of ore that was removed...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Rock Bolts
This is yet another feature of the current mine that didn't exist in its heyday, but its for good reason they're here now. Rock Bolts are used in modern times to provide additional stability to rock faces and thus provide a greater measure of safety in this 180 year old mine. The bolts were installed in the 1980's...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Vein 4 Shaft
Another shaft leading off Vein 4 at the 30-foot level...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Alas, our time in the mine ended with this stairway into the light...the rest of the tour would be above ground...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Like the sign says...Mine Exit...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Morgan Shaft Head Frame
This is the top of the high shaft we were looking up at from inside the mine. Hanging from the frame is another kibble for hauling ore, equipment, and men...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Engine Shaft
According to the guide, Engine Shaft was the deepest ever dug by the Reed Mining Company, at 110-feet, and was later further deepened to 150-feet. The main trouble with digging to these depths was the water table, which in these parts is only 55-feet down. This meant a good system of water pumps was necessary for mining this shaft...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Engine House
Here sits the foundation and old chimney of the engine house, of which three were located on this spot over the years. The steam powered equiptment housed in this structure included, but weren't limited to, pumps, mills, and hoists.
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Engine House
Here sits the foundation and old chimney of the engine house, of which three were located on this spot over the years. The steam powered equiptment housed in this structure included, but weren't limited to, pumps, mills, and hoists. An old mill stone sits in the foreground...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Engine House
Here sits the foundation and old chimney of the engine house, of which three were located on this spot over the years. The steam powered equiptment housed in this structure included, but weren't limited to, pumps, mills, and hoists. The large pit housed the boiler which produced the steam...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Brunerville
Like many mining operations around the globe the Reed Gold Mine sprouted a workers village. Originally over 20 building stood in this general area including cabins, a blacksmith shop, offices, and others. No trace of the village remains today aside from the previously pictured Engine House...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Upper Hill
Looking back on Upper Hill, the location of the Engine House and the surrounding company village of Brunerville...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Upper Hill Placer Pits
Walking along Upper Hill still more placer pits can be seen in the forest alongside which are numerous signs warning of the danger of cross country travel here...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Chilean Mill Stones
Making our way down from Upper Hill we passed an assortment of millstones used to crush the quartz removed from the mines. The mill stones would be hung upright and turned via animal or steam power, crushing the quartz beneath. A complete, upright Chilean mill is on display next to the visitor center and can be seen at the beginning and end of this album...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Chilean Mill Stones
A close-up of one of the old mill stones...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Adjacent to the mill stones, across a small field, are open sided sheds with a variety of old mining equipment on display, though nothing is signed to tell us what purpose anything served...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Leaving the Upper Hill area and heading down to the Stamp Mill...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Nearing the Stamp Mill we passed an old, locked, entrance to another mine shaft...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Stamp Mill
This building, moved here in 1898, is known as a California Style 10-stamp Mill. A Stamp Mill serves the same purpose as the stone mills, it just does it better and faster. Instead of grinding ore the stamp mill, as its name implies, pounds (or stamps) raw ore to help separate out the gold. Unfortunately that's all I can tell you about it as it was closed up today but I did get a decent interior shot which you'll see next...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
1898 Stamp Mill
An interior shot, of which I know nothing as the mill was locked up the day we visited...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
Little Meadow Creek
Walking around the mill we found ourselves once again along Little Meadow Creek...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
"The Lake"
This deep section of Little Meadow Creek was once known as "The Lake". The largest gold nugget ever found on the Reed Property was found here...a gold chunk weighing in at 28 pounds!!!
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark
More unlabeled mining equipment alongside the stamp mill...
mineplacergoldhistoric siteCharlotteaditquartzundergroundcavegold rushNational Historic Landmark