Maryland Gold Mines

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

A big part of Maryland's economy is mining and it started many years back. This particular mine site was discovered during the civil war. It is along a popular river and hiking trail, the Potomac River. Going to this site you can still see some of the original buildings that were used in mining.

Images

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

This mine site was discovered accidentally by a civil war soldier while he was washing his pots and pans. During his wash, he discovers gold along with this plot of land. Once it was known that gold was found there, people instantly started digging up the land and making it a site for mining. This continued for many years after but not enough gold was ever found to make profit for the state of mine. Today small traces of gold can still be found if you look hard enough! People can walk along with the mine and see the original architecture and the trail eventually leads to the Potomac River.

Sources

Maryland Gold Mine Ruins, Accessed January 30th 2021. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/maryland-gold-mine-ruins.

This source is a great source to look at when trying to find lesser-known historical spots in your state. The site is full of a community who likes to share their adventures to historical spots. On the Maryland Gold Mine Ruins page, you can find the history of the mines and why it is no longer in use. The site gives the viewer tips on what to know before they go to visit and nearby sights to see.

Betsy, Ranger. Treasure in the Hills, Canal Trust. August 28th 2014. Accessed February 28th 2021. https://www.canaltrust.org/discoveryarea/gold-mine-trails/.

This website focuses on the trail as a whole as well as the individual spots along the trail. Specifically in this article, it talks about the history of the mines and the author's personal experience while hiking along the trail. In the article, she also talks about the different trails you can take and what each trail has to offer. At the bottom portion of the page, pictures that show the mines when they were at their prime.