Posted on 05/15/2015 3:05:49 PM PDT by nickcarraway
It’s a town most people in Alabama don’t even know exists.
But, that’s not the way things have always been, as this tiny Tallapoosa County community was once one of the largest cities in Alabama. The reason can be found deep beneath the woods near the main road that runs through town.
James “Coy” Powell, whose ancestors have lived in Goldville for generations, said he hopes the history of this town doesn’t fade away like the population has.
“It’s a sacred spot that I can go back and I can tell people like you, you know this wasn’t easy back in them days,” Powell said.
The “days” that Powell is referencing was the 1820’s, 30’s, and 40’s, when gold mines, like the one WIAT 42 news was able to explore, were dug into the earth – after early European settlers came through the region.
“Passing through here they traded with the Creek Indians, the Creeks knew where the gold was at,” said Powell.
And once the settlers found the gold themselves, numerous mines were bored into the land, just as fast as the manual labor could keep up.
“We don’t know what work is until you go into some of these mines and you see these pick marks, they dug it by pick,” Powell said.
It was because of the gold found in mines like this one and others nearby that a population boom happened in this community. But, that all changed in an instant when a historic event happened out west.
“In 1849, the gold rush in California, gold you could pick up off the ground, and Goldville became a ghost town overnight.” Powell said.
The entire population of nearly 5,000 people packed up and headed west leaving the town dormant, with the exception of a few families who remained.
So, how much gold actually game out of the mines in the Goldville area?
“In today’s market, I would say something like $50 million worth, and that would be a very conservative guess,” said Powell.
$50 million worth of gold, bringing fortunes to many people.
And, it’s that lesson of hard work leading to prosperity that Powell hopes people learn from the story of Goldville, Alabama, appropriately named for the precious metal that put this city on the map.
“My ancestors was here, back in the 1800’s, they worked it, a lot of them went to California, but it’s just a part of me that I grew up in this county with this here,” said Powell.
At the peak of Alabama’s gold rush in the 1820’s, 30’s and 40’s, there were more than 200 gold mines in the Goldville area.
Today, because of nearly two centuries of weather and deterioration, only a handful remain.
The vast majority have collapsed, or were intentionally filled-in by land owners who didn’t want the liability of injuries on their property.
For more information on the history of gold mining in Alabama, check out these links:
http://jovikri.tripod.com/public-index.html
http://www.goldrushnuggets.com/goldinalabama.html
http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1666
Actually, I did know about this.
very interesting- thanks for posting.
mark
Interesting. I had heard of Goldville in Alabama. Never saw an news stories about it until now.
Goldville is maybe 30 miles from my home. A lot of creeks in the area contain gold. Have several friends who prospect as a hobby. My dad and his buddy gave it a try. Gave it up. Hard work! For not much return. There surely is such a thing as “Gold Fever”. I’ve seen it in people that find a few small flakes. You would figure with the price of gold as it is that it would become profitable to prospect. But, as I said, it’s a lot of hard work.
And there is none left? Oh please, I’m sure there is a little bit left somewhere nearby.
I’ve never been to Goldville, but was born and raised in Tallapoosa County and my dad talked about the gold in the area many times.
I have been in an old gold mine that is located very near Martin Dam on Lake Martin. I think they finally closed it up some years ago, but dad got a great kick out of taking people in in for a “tour”. The mine was a very short tunnel that ended in a big square room. Dad would tell folks that he would go in first to make sure there were no snakes or other animals in the mine. He would go and hide behind the side of the big room at the end of the tunnel and wait (making it appear that the tunnel was long and took him a long time to get to the end). So then he’d holler for the rest to come in because it was “safe”. They didn’t have to walk but maybe 50-60 ft. when he’d jump out and scare the beejesus out of them. He got a great kick out of that...lol
Your article brought back that great memory...thanks!
I don’t think much gold was found in this mine...if any.
Gold Hill is a small hamlet north of Auburn. We would pass through it on the way to other places and that is how I learned of Alabama’s gold deposits. As you say, hard work for a very low return.
Looking and pointing to the Georgia mountains he was heard to loudly proclaim, "There's gold in them thar hills!"
That Alabama gold field extends east-northeast up through GA towards the SC border: Across the border to the east Villa Rica, Dalonaga, and other little GA towns in that little fault line of the old mountains yielded most of the US gold found before 1848-49 in CA.
The same thing happened in Dahlonega, GA. When those miners heard that they were picking it up in chunks in California, they all left. The congressman of that time asked them to stay because “there’s gold in them thar hills”. They didn’t.
A lot of that is now federal land, but under certain hobby limits you can still look for gold there AFAIK. I had a friend in Atlanta who was picking up $200/week in the spring (runoff from snow in the mountains) with hobby level equipment - and that’s when gold was $200/oz. He showed me a nugget of about an ounce, which he told me was worth more than it’s weight in gold because it was a “natural nugget”. I was going to try my hand at it with some used equipment he had but I moved.
I’m in Tallassee. Right by Gold Camp Road. We had one or two mines here back then.
Going outside with the shovel this morning!
http://jovikri.tripod.com/public-index.html
http://www.goldrushnuggets.com/goldinalabama.html
http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1666
I’m in Sylacauga so, what, about 50 miles from Tallassee? Great to hear from some fellow Alabamian’s! BTW. ROLL TIDE!
Tallassee is pretty much an Auburn town isn’t it?
Yes. I work for Auburn. AUM, actually.
Roll Tide back at y’all, and War Eagle on payday!
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