Gold Mining Camp Museum - Goldvein VA
N 38° 26.803 W 077° 39.339
18S E 268243 N 4258722
The Gold Mining Camp Museum is the only museum in Virginia dedicated to the history of gold and mining.
Waymark Code: WMBWT2
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 06/28/2011
Views: 9
The 4000-square mile Virginia gold belt runs southwest from Maryland to North Carolina passing through Fauquier County at Goldvein. Prospecting for gold began in the 1800s. It was mostly limited to panning and placer pits (digging of trenches). Excavation of deep shafts began in the early 1900s. At one time, there were 18 active gold mines in the area.
The Gold Mining Camp Museum at Monroe Park in Goldvein features the buildings of a typical mining camp from the 1930s, including an Assay Office, Mess Hall, and Bunk House. There are 'hornet balls' on the grounds which were huge hollow spheres that were used for crushing large chunks of ore. Each building is open to visitors and is designed to evoke life in a typical early 20th-century mining camp. There are interpretive signs at each structure and the interior exhibits include informational displays, artifacts and old photographs. The Gold Mining Camp Museum is a work in progress. Additional outdoor exhibits and living history programs are planned for the future, as well as a stream to pan for gold.
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