JNF Ghost-towning

[CLynn85]

Ok, so this is something we don't have too many of here in VA, so when I heard there was an abandoned Lignite mine with some neat remains about 45 min from here in Jefferson National Forest I eagerly packed up and headed out.

From Ghosttowns.com:

Iron ore boom town formed in mid 1800's, had company store, churches, main street theatre, etc abandoned when ore business dropped. Overgrown now with few remains, I will do some more research and will submit some more stuff when I find it.

After scouring the GPS and delorme atlas I found the most likely area and we were off. We found the general area, and quite possibly the entrance or an out-cropping of it. Unfortunately the weather turned south very quickly shortly after we got there and it was soon pouring down rain, but a return trip is planned as soon as possible to explore farther.

From left to right:

The first thing we came upon was this 4-walled structure. Initially thought it was a foundation but when we looked closer there was no sign of a doorway, vents, etc, it had a gradual slope, and smooth top, so I'm not really sure what it was. May have been a storage area for what they hauled down out of the mountain. Picture doesn't really show the size of it, it was about 40x20ft, the wall was collapsed in the left side of the picture but extended much further back.

Also nearby was this brick structure set into the ground, which did have a doorway, it's tin roof was several yards away.

There were SEVERAL of these rusted out pans all over, this one with a tree growing up through the middle and an interesting leather shoe next to it, which doesn't appear to have been there very long at all.

Following what was once a road back into the hillside we arrived at a little stream, in the pile of debris next to the stream were squared off timbers with holes, presumably a bridge at some point in the past.

Continuing further up the road we came to another road, this one much more defined than the first, and leading up the mountainside, unfortunately shortly after hiking up this a bit the weather took a turn for the worse and we were rapidly hoofing it back to the truck.

Piece of coal found in the road, there were several chunks of this poor-quality stuff about this size scattered all over the roads.



I can't wait to see what lies beyond where we stopped. I know more ruins exist from the ghosttowns website, just a matter of taking enough time to search it out.

 

[Scenic WonderRunner]

Very Sweet ........Carl........!

Now THIS...........is what it's all about!

Thanks for sharing!:ylsmoke:



.

 

[jim65wagon]

Excellent find!

 

[Bergger]

Nice! Checking out old mines and towns is what I love to do.

 

[Wanderlusty]

Ghost towns and the like are a lot harder to find in the "East" so it is really extra special to find something.

 

[CLynn85]

Finally got to make a return trip to the area last week. We hiked back up to the grade where we left off the last time and followed it up the hill. Several hundred yards later it forked off into about 5 distinct paths, with a large clearing to the right. Opening up into the clearing we found what must've been the mining town. There was clearly a main street although it's not that visible in the pictures. Several stone and brick foundations lined up and down it and the pair of chimneys in the picture were the only structural remains. Whoever tore this place down did a fine job, there were chunks of brick and mortar EVERYWHERE. Judging by the clearing it hasn't been all that long since the area was razed. The undergrowth covered a lot of the ground and I'm sure hid a lot of what remained.

We continued up one of the trails, where we found a grided area of roads, with about 60ft separating them, presumably once the sight of wooden shacks for the miners? We were running out of daylight but picked one of the roads and continued up by foot. The road is blocked by tank-traps at several points along the way, and eventually the one we were on was consumed by evergreen growth and forward progress halted. We did find a new friend along the way, a green garter snake was minding his own business in the road.

There are several other roads in the area to explore, that are traversable by foot only. But just didn't have the time. I'm guessing they continue up the mountainside to the mines themselves.

MrS, I'm not aware of any iron ore mines in Jefferson National Forest, however, there are still modern day lignite mines. I've been wanting to contact the forest service for more information, just hasn't been high on the priority list lately. As for the walled structure I posted last time, it very well could have been for water storage. We were guessing that it was a storage area of some nature.

I should also mention that there is a railroad grade that follows along all the way back to the road we used to access the area.

It's a shame graduation is in a couple days and my ability to go out on a whim into JNF will cease to exist. There's so much here still to do.

Anyways, here's a few pictures of what we stumbled upon.