The excitement was building.
“Gold has been discovered in Jamestown!”
Imagine living in the early 1800s and hearing these words.
Gold was found in 1819 on William Hudson’s property near Deep River.
You cannot really call it a gold rush like California in 1848-55 but there were approximately 31 mining operations in the Jamestown area and Guilford County and a countless number in the state of North Carolina. During peak years, gold mining was second only to farming in the number of state residents it employed, according to historicsites.nc.gov.
All the mining was on private property and early mining was probably done by farmers during the off season and was stream bed, or placer, mining, not deep shafts or pits — more like you see in old westerns, with prospectors panning for gold. Gold, copper and some silver could be found by digging down into the ground. When the surface gold ran out, that’s when open pits and some shafts were dug. Most shafts were less than 200 feet deep.
Locally, the Gardner Hill, Lindsay, Jack’s Hill, Deep River and North State/McCulloch mines were part of a 3-mile long group of quartz veins. Most of Guilford County’s gold came from these mines. The combined value of the output of these mines was $225,000, including copper. Long-time residents of Jamestown have grown up with stories of gold and copper mines in the area. Many even played in them as children.
The late historian Mary Browning believed there was a mine near the High Point City Lake.
“There was a place called “the gold mine” between Mendenhall Road and the lake, where Mendenhall curves to the north,” Browning said. “My son says it was just because there was a large quartz rock or boulder there.”
Shawn Rogers, director of Mendenhall Homeplace, believes there is a mining connection to Jamestown’s founding family. He has found writings stating there was a mine on the Homeplace property as well as on James Mendenhall’s property near the Penny Road bridge. He spoke about this connection at a gold mining roundtable on 2015 sponsored by the Historic Jamestown Society and Friends of the Jamestown Public Library.
The Gardner Hill Mine was located somewhere near Sedgefield, Groometown and Jamestown. James MacClamroch, Guilford County historian, queried in 1952, “The town around the mine in the 1840s was the largest in the county with a population of around 800 while Greensboro had only about 500.” Could that have been Jamestown?
It’s no doubt Jamestown grew as these mines grew. The prospect of wealth brought capitalists and laborers to the state, including miners from Wales, Cornwall, Germany, Austria and Poland. Many descendants of the Cornish miners are still around. It’s estimated at least 30,000 people were associated with mining in North Carolina.
Jack’s Hill Mine (gold), near Riverdale Road, operated approximately 25 years, from 1855-1880, as an extension of the North State Mine (copper) in High Point. According to thediggings.com, it was a small-scale underground mine with only one known access shaft. The shaft probably only went 75 feet into the earth.
Archival photograph of McCulloch Gold Mill with its original roof, probably taken around 1900.
Perhaps most well known gold site to locals today is the McCulloch Gold Mill, or the Rock Engine House, just off Kivett Drive, now known is Castle McCulloch.
This site was not a gold mine but a refinery.
An interesting connection to one of the mines has come to light. Jamestown’s Dr. Shubal Coffin purchased the Guilford Gold Mining Co. (also known as the Lindsay Mine) in the mid-to-late 1850s but according to Browning, soon sold it to investors.
By the 1830s, the easily accessible ore had been extracted and the remaining gold was 50 feet or more below ground. New mining techniques were necessary, bringing the steam engine to the mining scene.
N.C. gold rush
North Carolina’s “gold rush” started when young Conrad Reed discovered a 17-lb. yellow rock in the creek on the family farm in Cabarrus County in 1799, now designated Reed Gold Mine. The family used it as a doorstop for three years.
It was the first documented gold find in the United States. Soon, the state was the No. 1 producer of gold in the United States and stayed that way until the California Gold Rush.
From 1804-1828, all domestic gold coined by the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia came from North Carolina. This prompted the government to build another U.S. Mint in Charlotte, which operated 1838-61. It closed after the Confederate Army took it over and turned it into a hospital.
From 1829-35, 393,119 oz. of gold was produced. Gold output peaked in the 1830s and again in the late 1840s.
However, the California Gold Rush of 1849 as well as the advent of the Civil War virtually brought an end to mining in N.C.
The Dept. of Conservation and Development said important periods for gold in North Carolina was 1831-43, 1882-91, 1902-06, 1912-15 and there was a short revival in 1933-34.
Total production of gold in the entire U.S. 1792-1847 was more than 1 million fine ounces (1 troy ounce, slightly more than a regular ounce, assumed to be 995 pure), and a large part of this was from N.C.
The total amount of gold sent from N.C. to the Philadelphia Mint 1799-1860 was 9 million fine ounces. (a troy ounce is heavier than a regular ounce by 2.75 grams. In other words, a troy ounce is 31.10 grams while a regular ounce is 28.35 grams. Using grains, a troy ounce is 480 grains versus 437.5 for a regular ounce.) A recent closing price on a U.S. $20 gold piece (.9675 fine ounces or 96.75 percent pure) was $2,315.10. Any guess what that 9 million fine ounces sent to the Philly Mint from 1799-1860 would be worth today? Close to $21 billion.
No wonder the N.C. General Assembly declared gold the official state mineral in 2011.
It’s estimated that 80 percent of the gold is still underground, but if you’re thinking about looking for it, don’t. All the land is private property and it’s not profitable to try to extract it.
For more information, visit the following websites:
McCulloch Gold Mill, https://www.ncpedia.org/castle-mcculloch-gold-mill
Reed Gold Mine, https://historicsites.nc.gov/all-sites/reed-gold-mine.
Insight: The Impact of Gold Mining on Jamestown
The discovery of gold in Jamestown and the surrounding areas had a significant impact on the region’s growth and economy, attracting capitalists and laborers from various countries. The mining operations not only provided employment opportunities but also shaped the cultural and historical narrative of Jamestown. The presence of gold mines in the area continues to be a source of fascination for locals, linking them to their town’s rich mining heritage.
Insight: Technological Advancements in Mining
As the easily accessible ore deposits were depleted, miners in North Carolina had to adopt new techniques, such as using steam engines, to extract gold from deeper underground. The evolution of mining technology played a crucial role in extending the lifespan of mining operations and maximizing the yield of precious metals from the mines.
