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2008 annual meeting – Spruce Pine Mining District: Little Switzerland, North Carolina
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situation. Vulcan turned the bench orientation approximately east-west or perpendicular
to the major sturcture in order to minimize hazardous mining conditions.
This rock is produced to provide quality construction stone (aggregate) to be used as the
major ingredient to make asphalt and concrete. It is also used extensively in other
construction projects such as base for highways and roads and as an erosion control
material.
STOP No. 4 – Lunch stop
STOP No. 5 -- Emerald Village and the Seven Mines
By: Alan Schabilion, Emerald Village, Inc., P.O. Box 98, Little Switzerland, NC 28749
www.emeraldvillage.com, 828-765-6463, alan@emeraldvillage.com
Emerald Village is a fascinating collection of mines buildings and attractions nestled into
the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains near Little Switzerland, North Carolina. Seven large
abandoned mines dot the mountainsides at Emerald Village and offer evidence of man’s
long search for buried treasures. One of the mines, the Bon Ami Mine, is now home to
The North Carolina Mining Museum, offering visitors the opportunity to go underground
into a real mine. Another mine, the Big McKinney Mine, was once the world’s largest
Feldspar mine and today the abandoned mine is quite spectacular. The other five mines
each offer a unique glimpse into our earth. Together these mines tell the historic story of
mining, miners and minerals in this important part of the Spruce Pine Mining District.
Feldspar mining began at the Big McKinney mine around 1923 and continued steadily
through the 1950’s. The development of flotation separation for mixed ores spelled the
end of these massive underground mines, although they were far from worked out. Vast
underground operations were risky and expensive. Today, more than 54 gems, rocks and
minerals have been documented from these seven mines, and the area remains a
rockhound treasure chest. Other minerals sold from these mines over the years included
mica, columbite, and beryl. Many minerals found here are extremely rare, such as
Samarskite, Torbernite and the exquisite crystals of Pumpellyite documented in 1996 in
the Mineralogical Record. The McKinney Mine is the only place in the Carolinas where
this mineral has been found.
The mines were owned or worked by various companies over the years, and in some
cases workers in different mines mined within a few feet of each other. Sometimes only
a thin wall remained between the workings. During depression years the mines offered
some of the only work available in the area, and old-timers recalled lines of would-be
workers on the road, just waiting for someone to get hurt or quit. Average wages at that
time were 10 cents an hour for 10 long hard hours a day.
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