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Sign-up required, call me, email me or sign-up at the meeting
MEETING TIME AND PLACE: I will meet the group from Roanoke at the Sheets Station Rt. 460 and 811 in New London and depart promptly at 8:00 AM. We can leave some cars in the Food Lion parking lot across the street if necessary. I will lead the group to the Madison Heights meeting spot, and we will DEPART as a group from the Sonic Drive-In lot in Madison Heights across from Auto Zone and above Wal-Mart (3.9 miles north on US 29 from the center of the James River Bridge) promptly at 8:45 AM, Saturday morning.
Due to the restricted parking along Route 6, we must limit attendance to 10 cars maximum. Only those that call to reserve your place or sign up at the meeting will be allowed to attend. Car-pooling is recommended, We will arrive at a small parking area at the intersection of Rt. 29 North and Rt. 6 East about 9:15AM. We can leave some cars here if necessary and pick up those that will meet us here.
THE TRIP: I have received permission from the landowner and he has some rules that must be obeyed. NO SMOKING (extremely dry and a high fire hazard could exist). Keep away from the 3 open shafts and collect only geologic specimens, not historic pieces, and leave NO TRASH. This is a beautiful, classic and historic site and the owner has graciously allowed us to collect there.
The mine is about 1.5 miles (a good 45 minute walk) along a mostly level, rutted dirt road. Recent logging in the area has made the road rough and possibly muddy in places. Since we must walk in and out, and lead is very heavy, you might want to bring a wagon, hand truck or at the least a good back pack. Good walking shoes are a must and be sure to bring plenty of water and snacks. You'll also need safety glasses, hammers, chisel, a tool to scratch thru the dirt and overburden and turn over rocks, buckets or bags with newspaper to wrap your delicate specimens.
COLLECTING: Expect to find Galena (Lead), Sphalerite (Zinc) and Fluorite (white and purple). Other minerals that exist there are Chalcopyrite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Magnetite, Quartz, Calcite, Cerussite, Chalcanthite, Pyromorphite, Kaolinite, Azurite, Chlorite and Hydrozincite. Many of these are fluorescent under ultraviolet lamp.
HISTORY: The mine was discovered in 1849, and operated off and on by the Confederates during the Civil War producing an excess 7,000 pounds of lead, but abandoned when General Sherman crossed the Blue Ridge at Rockfish Gap. In 1905, it was again opened for Lead and Zinc but closed again about 1919. Several other unsuccessful attempts to reopen the mine were short-lived. The 3 shafts are now partly choked and caved and the audit reopened in 1958 is now caved. A large dump still exists and will still yield beautiful specimens after much searching and digging.
We must arrive and walk in together, but you may leave any time you want and walk out by yourself. This is a unique collecting site and we are fortunate to have it in our area and have a landowner who is willing to share it with us.
CONTACT: David Callahan, Field Trip Chairman. The Gem and Mineral Society of Lynchburg, VA, Inc and The Roanoke Valley Mineral and Gem Society, Inc. Web sites: www.lynchburgrockclub.org and www.rvmgs.com
E-mail dbcall1@aol.com Phone 540-297-1853 Cell 540-297-5201
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