 |
Sillimanite Prospect (?) - April 2023 Towns County, GA |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2023) |
|
Sillimanite Prospect (?) - April 2023 Towns County, GA |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2023) |
| In early 2020, I found an old homesite east of Hunter Knob. It sat on the edge of a large open flat area, and was recognizable by the collapsed chimney, rock-lined spring head, daffodils, and other evidence. (Click here to see that homesite in a new tab) My friend Sheldon later mentioned an old mine tunnel in the area, so I had to go look for it. As it turned out, I had walked right by the site on my original visit. It's more of a prospect than a mine; the "tunnel" only goes in a short ways at the end of a cut. I had a feeling that there might be more works on the slope above the opening, and sure enough, there was a pit that may have been a shaft, now collapsed. At first I couldn't find anything about this mine / prospect. But I came across a report on Sillimanite in Georgia, and saw that there is a zone of this mineral that runs from Winchester Creek, across Hunter Knob, on to Brasstown Curch and then into Clay County. The mineral, rare in Georgia, was investigated here in the early 1940s for use in high temperature refractories. While I'm not positive, I believe this may have been one of those prospects. |
|
 |
|
| A large patch of running cedar near the homesite |
|
 |
|
| Approaching what I call "the flats" by the homesite |
|
 |
|
| View of "the flats" in front of the homesite |
|
 |
|
| Another section of "the flats" Note the clump of daffodils in the foreground... |
|
 |
|
| The collapsed chimney now has a tree lying on top of it. |
|
 |
|
| Stacked rocks formed one of the old house's corner supports |
|
 |
|
| Nearby, an old open cut leads up to the beginnings of a tunnel |
|
 |
|
| The mouth of the tunnel is collapsed I don't know if the tunnel was just started and only went in a few yards, or if there is a deeper excavation under the slumped dirt. |
|
 |
|
| This pit is located on the hill immediately above the cut / tunnel. |
|
 |
|
| I suspect it was once a deeper shaft, headed toward the tunnel, now partially collapsed. |
|
 |
|
| View from inside the pit, looking out. |
|
 |
|
| Quartz inclusions in rock from the waste-dump |
|
 |
|
| Another rock from the waste-dump with quartz |
|
 |
|
| Nearby, I came across several scattered groups of animal bones, probably a deer. Spine, pelvis, leg bones |
|
 |
|
| Leg bones |
|
 |
|
| Ribs |
|
 |
|
| I'd heard that there was the remains of a still on one of the nearby creeks. I went up & down several branches, but the only thing I saw that might be still-related was this buried 50 gallon drum & cover. |
|
 |
|
| While looking for the still, I came across a couple of skulls... An old moss-covered feral hog skull. |
|
 |
|
| Moss-covered feral hog skull. |
|
 |
|
| I believe this is a coyote skull. Smaller than the hog, 8.5 inches long. |
|
 |
|
| Coyote skull |