Post by cabarrusgold on May 30, 2014 6:47:58 GMT -5
A golden gift: Donated land part of McDowell's mining heritage
A 12-acre piece of McDowell’s gold-mining heritage is now owned by the foundation that seeks to preserve and promote this rich and colorful chapter in local history.
Through his organization 130 of Chatham, LLC, property owner, conservationist and Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney has donated a 12-acre parcel of land in southern McDowell County to the N.C. Gold Foundation Inc. of Marion. This parcel contains the remnants of a gold stamp mill that was in use during the days of the North Carolina gold rush in the early 1800s.
This is where the miners, using horse and wagons, took their gold ore to the stamp mill where the rocks were crushed into pieces and exposed the gold that was hidden inside the ore. The 12-acre site is also the location of three of the many old gold mines in the Vein Mountain area, according to Don Markum with the N.C. Gold Foundation.
“This gracious gift is a blessing and has been a long term goal for the N.C. Gold Foundation and will set the Gold Foundation on a clear path to achieve their future goals of building a program of tourism similar to the one in Dahlonega Georgia where over 250,000 visitors come to the Gold Rush Days celebration,” reads a statement from Markum. “With this gracious gift, from Mr. Sweeney, of the old gold stamp mill site, we in McDowell County have the opportunity to rebuild the old historic stamp mill and establish a gold museum. We will have the opportunity to view the rebuilt old stamp mill and actually see the full design and operation of the stamp mill.”
The site is located off of U.S. 221 South across from the entrance to the Lucky Strike Gold and Gem Mine. A planned museum will display artifacts, documents, videos, audio, and stories of the historic times of gold mining in our area. The foundation also seeks to establish a walking trail so tourists can walk to the mines from the stamp mill and “experience the excitement and labor the miners went through to capture the illusive gold metal.”
Recently, the deed for the 12-acre parcel was presented to Markum and other partners in this effort at the law office of Little & Lattimore in Marion, which did the legal work.
“It’s been a 10-year goal of the foundation to get this property,” said Markum. “We’re so excited. Our dream is to rebuild the stamp mill, put it back into its original state. It will take years to do that.”
At the presentation were N.C. Gold Foundation Secretary Joyce Stamper, volunteer Richard Buchanan, attorney and Marion Mayor Steve Little, Liz McCormick with Lucky Strike Gold and Gem Mine, attorney Lee Lattimore, Markum and board member Arthur Horton.
On Saturday, May 10, Markum, Little, N.C. Rep. Josh Dobson and others who are involved in this effort walked through the area of the old gold stamp mill and talked about its potential as a historic site.
The stamp mill crushed gold ore for the local miners for many years producing gold flakes to be pressed into coins. It was owned by the Vein Mountain Mining Company based in New York. The mining company also owned more than 3,500 acres of land that had gold ore used for mining. Doug McCormick of Lucky Strike said that a stream of water coming from the Devils Ball Alley, close to U.S. 221 South and Spooky Hollow Road, fed the stamp mill. The water flowed through gentle sloping trenched ditches and wooden flumes, stated to be over 10 miles of constructed water aqueduct.
“It’s got some history that’s unbelievable,” said Markum. “For years and years, this thing cranked out materials and produced gold.”
Doug McCormick said he spoke years ago with Henry Sprouse, who passed away in 2002 at the age of almost 100. During that interview, Sprouse told McCormick that his early family was involved in building those water trenches and ran a team of mules and a drag pan for digging those trenched ditches for the water for Vein Mountain Mining Company.
An historical document states the water flushed the gravel to form one stamp to the next on a 10-stamp mill. Each stamp weighed 600 to 800 pounds. The crushed quartz material was washed by the water as it flowed through a series of pairs of parallel rockers. The water returned to a cistern for reuse. During the interview, Sprouse also revealed that he had played in the old abandoned stamp mill as a little boy before it burned down from a railroad fire in the 1950s.
Doug McCormick said he was involved in one of the last commercial gold mining operations in the state. The Vein Mountain Processing Company was closed in 1990.
Another document states that a series of 33 parallel quartz gold veins crosses through the area around Vein Mountain.
Lloyd Nanney, owner and operator of the Thermal City Gold Mine, was with the group of local leaders and N.C. Gold Foundation board members who participated in the May 10 walkabout of the historical remnants of the stamp mill. Nanney, a local gold historian, said the gold stamp mill site is “a very significant historical asset to McDowell County and the N.C. Gold Foundation. The site should absolutely be preserved and improved for the benefit of future generations.”
Eddie Parker, who is a teacher in the McDowell school system teaching fifth-grade history and social studies in the Pleasant Gardens school, also participated in the viewing of the old gold stamp mill site.
Parker stated, “Gold contributed to the economy of western North Carolina in the past. This project of restoring the old gold stamp mill will make people aware of the history and help our economy in the future. I think it is important that the children of McDowell County learn about the history of gold in this area. This will allow future generations to learn that history for years to come.”
On Monday, May 12, the McDowell County Commissioners endorsed the creation of a N.C. Gold Trail, which will promote the gold-mining heritage of the entire state. Carol Price, director of the McDowell Tourism Development Authority, talked to the commissioners how about her office is working with a couple of county partners to create a N.C. Gold Trail. She said Rutherford County is putting dollars behind it too and has initiated new interest to promote the heritage of the Bechtler Mint. She added there is the potential for 34 counties to join this in project.
Price has contacted N.C. Rep. Josh Dobson’s office about the process involved with receiving official state recognition for the N.C. Gold Festival in McDowell County. This would make the local festival the official gold festival for the entire state.
“I believe once the N.C. Gold Trail marketing plan is in effect, this festival will see a significant growth spurt,” said Price.
Price also talked about the work that Markum and others with the Gold Foundation are doing to create an interpretive plan for the stamp mill. She said this would be another significant stop on the new N.C. Gold Trail. The stamp mill is located near Polly Spout Road. The new trail will connect Lucky Strike, the stamp mill, the Vein Mountain Recreational Miners Club and the Thermal City Gold Mine.
“I believe once the stamp mill property is open, this road will become very popular,” said Price.
Steve Bush, executive director of the McDowell Chamber of Commerce, said his organization is strongly supporting this effort too.
During the May 12th meeting, the County Commission voted unanimously to endorse the local festival as the official gold festival for North Carolina. During their Tuesday, May 20th meeting, the Marion City Council members voted unanimously to do the same thing.
“I don’t see a downside to it,” said Mayor Pro Tem Lloyd Cuthbertson.
The N.C. Gold Festival is scheduled to be held Friday, June 6 and Saturday, June 7 at the Mountain Gateway Museum in Old Fort.
In addition, the N.C. Gold Foundation, with the help of former Rep. Mitch Gillespie, has a N.C. General Assembly-sanctioned mining specialty license plate. This plate will be sold in every tag agency in the state allowing the N.C. Gold Foundation to start the rebuilding fund for the gold stamp mill.
www.mcdowellnews.com/news/a-golden-gift-donated-land-part-of-mcdowell-s-mining/article_1e650606-e2c1-11e3-ab08-001a4bcf6878.html
