In June of 1964, Joseph Mahan Jr., an archaeologist from Columbus, Georgia, arranged a trip to southwest Pickens County, near the Henderson and Sharp Mountains. He had learned of an abandoned gold mine and wanted to explore it.
In 1878, David Cantrell moved near the Indian Pine section of Southwest Pickens County. He lived on the land until he passed away in 1947. His son T.D. lived with him at the property on Route 3, Jasper.
Reed Henson acquired part of the Cantrell Farm from T.D. Cantrell In 1962. T.D. Cantrell discovered the mine at the base of a steep hill, near a stream, ten years prior. Thomas David Cantrell noticed a depression on the side of a hill that looked mysterious to him. He detonated a stick of dynamite and uncovered the mine entrance.
The mine was sealed with a rock wall making it harder to locate. Upon inspection, the mine was 5 feet high and 125 feet deep. There were pic marks down the length of the mine and the mine was flooded with about a foot and a half of water.
Mahan, James Bush, and Eugene Cline, met with Reed Henson's wife to examine the mine.
Upon investigating, they found two boards made of American Chestnut. A neighbor, James Turner, was the father-in-law of the Hinsons. He claimed that none of the original settlers knew of the mine.
In October 1964, Mahan returned with Carl Blanchard, Bill Phillips, and Ed Seeley for another investigation. They set up a pump to empty the mine and removed most of the water. They investigated another possible mine location 50 feet upstream where the landowner previously found three triangular-shaped flint points.
Photos were taken and a quartz vein was found. Mahan speculated it to be an Indian gold mine based on the arrowheads and age of the mine.
Four years later Joseph wrote Sam Tate, of Smyrna, Georgia, with details of the mine. He indicated that although he tried to get the Department of Geology of the University of Georgia to investigate the mine, they never did.
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