Gold Mining Camp Museum - Goldvein VA - History Museums on Waymarking.com

The 4000-square mile Virginia gold belt runs southwest from Maryland to North Carolina passing through Fauquier County at Goldvein. Prospecting for gold began in the 1800s. It was mostly limited to panning and placer pits (digging of trenches). Excavation of deep shafts began in the early 1900s. At one time, there were 18 active gold mines in the area.

The Gold Mining Camp Museum at Monroe Park in Goldvein features the buildings of a typical mining camp from the 1930s, including an Assay Office, Mess Hall, and Bunk House. There are 'hornet balls' on the grounds which were huge hollow spheres that were used for crushing large chunks of ore. Each building is open to visitors and is designed to evoke life in a typical early 20th-century mining camp. There are interpretive signs at each structure and the interior exhibits include informational displays, artifacts and old photographs. The Gold Mining Camp Museum is a work in progress. Additional outdoor exhibits and living history programs are planned for the future, as well as a stream to pan for gold.

References:

• Welcome to Monroe Park; Goldvein, Virginia; Home of Mining Camp Museum
• On-site information

Theme: Early 20th century gold mining Street Address: Monroe Park 14421 Gold Dust Parkway Goldvein, VA 22720 Food Court: no Gift Shop: no Hours of Operation: Wednesday - Saturday: 9:30 AM - 5 PM Sunday: 12 PM - 4 PM Grounds are open daily Cost: 0.00 (listed in local currency) Museum Size: Small Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
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Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   05/23/2015 Team 57 visited it