The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1897-04-29
GOLD MINES Of ABBEV|LLE.
Old Stories Revived by Recent En-
terprises.
FAIR WAY TO BE RE-OPENED.
Gold, Silver and Lead Mines Known
to the Indians Before the White Men
Discovered America.

SOlu interests arOuuu Troy, aupoNilo
county, are to be developed. Parties
have been prospecting, and assays
made range from $40 to 800. There is
no doubt about the gold being there,
and many people believe that there are
fortunes for those who will dig. An old
miner writing in the Augusta tGa.
Chronicle, says:
''The Dorm mine was the richest vein
ever discovered in this country, and
the Bslknap-Smith mine is today one
of the best paying in the South, and In
my opinion there is no reason Why
there should not be thousand just -
good"
The Dorm mine is at Mccormick.
about five miles from this place. The
first vein was discovered somewhere in
the SOS, and Mr.. William Dorm, the
owner, with q few hands and crude
machinery often got out over 81, 600
worth of gold in day. In few years
the mine yielded more than million
dollars. Fost of the gold was taken
from pockets, the last of which was e1-
hausted soon after the war. Mr.. Dorm,
who had spent his fortune in phllan-
thropic ways and in negro investments,
was then forced to discontinue work,
and soon died in poverty. The mine is
now owned by Mrs. Cyrus Mccormick:
of Chicago, Mr.. L. W. Jordan, OF
Seneca, and others, who so far have
taken no steps towards reopening 1t.
Experienced miners have said that
there is still more gold in the mine
than has ever been taken out, and
after heavy rain nuggets OF gold are
often found in the vicinity.
A man living near Mccormick has
supported his family for years by wash
ing surface ore. Traces of gold have
been found from Little Mountain, six
miles south of Abbeville, to the Dtrn
mine, distance of twenty miles. Sew
eral shafts have been sunk near Troy,
and last summer nugget which sold
for $40 was ploughed up on the out,
skirts of the town. There are several
valuable mines on the Bradley estate
near here, which will be opened at an
early date.
APennsylvania company is now In
possession of the mine at Little Noun
tain, where they have placed $50, 600
worth of machinery.
The Reynolds mine, three miles from
here, which was discontinued on ac-
count of sulphurets, will soon be re-
opened. This mine has assayed 500
to the ton.
One of the most valuable veins 30 far
discovered is on the land of Prof. Will
liam McCaslan, of Clinton. The vein
is about two miles this side of Little
Mountain. The ore has assayed very
high, and nuggets as large as grains OF
corn have been picked up. With a
crude rocker the ore has yielded as high
as from Sl2 to Sl7 per day. Prof. Nc
Caslan's father refused $40, 900 for the
place. Years ago, in an account OF his
Journey through this section, Prof. La
Borde, of the South Carolina College,
foretold that the mineral spring of
Meriwether county, Georgia, would
claim the attention they now hold, and
at the same time he predicted that the
gold fields of Abbeville county, South
Carolina, would some day yield I'M
mense fortunes. Experienced miners
say that the gold is here. and all that
is needed is capital tc develop it.
Mineral deposits we're discovered IN
this part of the State by the Spaniards
over three hundred years ago. In 1540
DeSoto, in his search for gold, reached
the capital of the famous territory OF
Cofachiaue, where he found people
who made their hatchets from an alloy
of gold and copper. The Spanish Gov
ernor was treated with great hospitality
by Xualla, the beautiful Indian Queen,
until he had desecrated some of her
sacred mounds.
The indians refusing to tell where
the gold was obtained, the Spaniards
turned from the land they had so long
sought and proceeded towards the Dab
lonega mines of Georgia. Xualla's cap
ital was situated at the junction Of the
Broad and Savannah rivers, about tif-
teen miles from here.
All of the early historians of South
Carolina emphasize the fact that there
are valuable mineral resources in this
part of the State. Adair tells of sill
yer mine which was operated by gang
of counterfeiters. Logan adds that all
traces of this mine, like many others in
the same region, have been lost. Law
son states that from time inmemorial
the Indians were acquainted with valu
able mines of gold and silver in upper
Carolina, but they concealed the fact
for fear their lands would be settled by
the whites. Cox tells of quick silver
mine used by the Indians, the site of
which cannot now be found. Mills
says that as late as 1915 the Indians
were working a very rich silver mine,
the location of which they carefully
concealed from the whites. 1t lisa we'll
known fact that the Indians mined
their lead somewhere in this region,
and traces of other minerals are fire.
quently found.
Logan's History of Upper South Car
olina, written in 1869, tells OF an an
cient silver mine, which was once
worked, near the site of old Rock
Church, on Coronaks Greek in this
county. Tradition says that it was dis
covered by band who had probably de-
serted from De Soto's camp on the Ss-
vannah river. The entire party, except
two. were massacred by the Indians,
who ''threw the entire mass OF the ac-
cursed metal they had raised and melt.
ed back into the mine and so restored
the spot TO its primitive aspect that no
vigilance or skill of civilized men has