December 30, 2013 / Joanne Yeck

Buckingham Gold: Ford and Nicholas Mine

Shaft mining in central Virginia, c. 1865 (Harper’s New Monthly Magazine)

On July 14, 1838, a letter to the Editor ran in the Washington D.C. newspaper, Madisonian, for the Country. It was in response to “extracts from the New York Gazette, on the subject of Gold Mines in Virginia.” The letter discusses several Buckingham County gold mines which were active in 1838 and was signed, simply, BUCKINGHAM.

Here’s what the correspondent had to say about the “Ford and Nicholas” mine:

The Ford and Nicholas mine has been opened by a shaft to the depth of seventy or eighty feet. The ore is believed to be good; but has not, as yet, been put to the test of machinery. The proprietors are raising ore, and putting up machinery, to be propelled by steam; which it is expected will be ready for operation in a few weeks. The vein may be said to be a large one, the ores tolerably easy of access; and may be had in sufficient quantity to do a profitable business upon a good capital. A proper investment in this mine could hardly fail to be a good one, and might turn out to be very profitable.