PhoenixVillage1904.jpg (small)
PhoenixVillage1904.jpg (large)
1911 Map of Phoenix Gold Mine Area
1853 Vanderburg Mining Company Report by James T. Hodge in "Tetra-Chordon A Pot Pourri Of Rhythms And Prose"
Author: William Furniss ; Purchased by William P. Furniss in 1855
Furniss Shaft image 124k
Phoenix Mine Plan of Buildings
Phoenix Mine Geological Survey 1928: M C Lake
History of the Furniss and Phoenix Gold Mines with emphasis on the mid 1950's exploration by J. Harold Nash (Nov 8, 1987) from Golden Gazette Vol.5 No.1
The Phoenix Gold Mine: A Brief History by Sam E. Phifer, PG from Golden Gazette Vol.21 No.1
GOLD MINING in North Carolina A Bicentennial History by Richard F. Knapp and Brent O. Glass
Chilean Mill
originally at the Furniss Mine on the north bank of Plum Run and
just a few yards east of the Phoenix mine property.
FurnissDerrick_ca_1960.jpg
Phoenix and Furniss Mine Lands:
"Land...'tis the only thing that matters! Tis the only thing that lasts!" Sound advice given to Scarlett O'hara as everthing of value to her had Gone With the Wind except her beloved Tara.
Phoenix Lands (small) (large)This 629 acres remained intact from the mid 1850's until just a few decades ago. The main mine and village were on tract one, now Green Oaks Golf Course. My grandfather, James Marcus Mullis, lived in the "big house" (office/hotel complex) with three of his sons and their families from about 1936 until his death there in the house in Feb. 1941.
Tracts 2 and 3 make up the western border to the new Mt. Pleasant South as annexed in the summer of 2004.
Furniss Lands (small) (large) This 659 acres was purchased by a New Yorker, William P. Furniss, at the fore closure sale of the Vanderburg Gold Mining Co, in the mid 1850's. My father purchased the 93.5 acre tract 4 in 1939 for a whoping $840.00 at $9 per acre. A neighbor, Tuck Barringer, sold dad a small three room, 24' by 20', house for $25.00 (yes, twenty five dollars) which dad dismantled and rebuilt on his new land. It consisted of two 12' by 12' rooms and an 8' by 14' kitchen with a small back porch. My twin sister and I were literally born in this house in March, 1941, making us the fourth and fifth children. Dad made a trip into town to have the doctor visit mom...she was fine, having descended from good hardy Mullis stock! He "paid" the doctor one country ham...thus I came into this world at a delivery cost of half a country ham. The seven of us required three beds and a cot.... a wood stove for heat and a wood cooking stove for the kitchen. No electricty,no running water, no telephone, but thousands of acres of land to roam... life was GOOD!
Tracts 5 and 6 are Walden Pond. The Petrea Shool was located at the most southerly point of tract 7 where it corners with tract 2 of the Phoeinx lands. The Miami Church Rd runs between tract 4 and tracts 5,6,and 7. Tract 1 of the Phoenix is bordered on the north by tract 5 and east by tract 6 of the Furniss lands.
Phoenix-Furniss mines and viens, map
Other nearby/adjacent mines:
Boger and Narville (1903) a few hundred yards to the north east of the Furniss Mine on the original land of W. H. Orchard (1871) of Phoenix Mine fame (on the land of the late Clyde Propst) borders tracts 4 (east), 7 (north) of the Furniss lands. The small Chilean Mill used here is on display at Bost Mill .
Rocky River (1896) near Georgeville ( south west of NC Hwy 200 - Reed Mine Rd intersection),
Viens of gold (1899) due north of tract 2 of Furniss Lands, borders Hamby Branch Rd on the east;
Tucker (California) a few hundred yards to the south west of the Phoenix (Tucker Gold Mining Co.),
Snyder, Faggart, Barnhardt, Solomon Furr, Gibbs, Bangle.
Nearby Lands: George C Heglar Farm (1926) (Geo C. Heglar) This 601 acres is just a part of the original Cabarrus Land, Lumber, and Mining Company lands which were formed from R. D. Cullen's (a New Yorker) and John H. S. Gibbs' ( Ireland) lands. Located to the north of Phoenix and west of Furniss; contains:
Snyder Mine (about midway of tract 11 and a couple hundred yards east of Hamby branch),
Gibbs Mine (35 21.379' -80 30.154') just to the east of Hamby Branch Rd --Phoenix Mine Rd-- of tract 13,
Bangle (35 21.751' -80 29.800') center and east of tract 12,
Faggart Mine (center and north in tract 9).
John L. Barnhardt farm (1912) (borders Furniss on the east) Part of the original George Barnhardt holdings.
There are many hundreds of undocumented "Gold Holes" scattered through out Cabarrus county. These are usually a few tens of feet deep. Could any of these have been dug with the fervor of the characters in Erskine Caldwell's (1933) God's Little Acre ??????
Caveat Emptor and mineral rights. When the mine lands were sold, often the original owners retained possesion of the mineral rights much to the consternation of future housing development owners!!!!!!! If you lived within 200 yards of the "Big House" your front yard was safe. Aparently the Chapin families love of gold went the same way as the Hudson automobile.
Old Field Schools near the Phoenix Gold Mine
Sources:
Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site
Local History, Cabarrus Co. Library (Patricia Curl PSCurl@cabarruscounty.us)
Cabarrus County, NC Register of Deeds
