World Famous Beryl Mountain Mine Acworth, NH - Part 1

[@johannesswarts1440]

Brings back some memories... I grew up in Bellows Falls, VT - about 8 or 10 miles to the west, on the Connecticut River. My dad took me to Beryl Mtn sometime around 1962 - I would have been 9 at the time. There was a vault-like excavation into the mountain. I don't recall a tunnel. You could still see huge beryl crystals embedded in the walls of the excavation. Some of them were up to a foot in diameter. We also collected books of mica nearly a foot across. There were also boulders of the rose quartz scattered about. After the trip with my dad, my friends and I would bicycle over there. Imagine letting 10 or 12 year olds bicycling along back roads to go collecting in a mine. Mr Flynn - I also spent some time at Bailey's Minerals - very nice man and wife. Everything was big up there! My best finds were some radioactive minerals. I had these lying around my bedroom - today, my parents would probably be arrested for child endangerment... :-D At one time, I had a section of a beryl crystal about 8 inches in diameter, missing two faces. I think I collected it sometime around the mid-1970s. I sold it at the Gilsum (NH) mineral show in the early 2000s. I have only one little golden beryl left from those times, maybe an inch long, as well as some cyrtolite (radioactive zircon).

[@Eclectic_RN]

When walking straight to the face of the mine with the main dump to the left, I left well over 100lbs of beryl pieces buried under about two feet of overburden near the bottom of the main tailings. This was 1974 or so when the mine was being operated for white quartz and the beryl was largely ignored. I sold a few hundred pounds to Harvey Bailey of Bailey's mineral shop for $1/lb. There was so much beryl (chunks 1/4lb to about 20lbs, green and gold (brown), opaque and not cuttable. Harvey couldn't sell as much as I could find so I made a stockpile and then moved from S. Acworth in 1976. Now that area of the tailings have been radically spread out, but either someone found my "trove," or it's still there (probably about 200lbs). I did find one piece of cats-eye beryl from Beryl Mountain and cut a nice ~14mm cabochon. For any who might remember, I'm the one who removed the big hexagonal crystal about 4' below the face back in 1974 or so. Collecting was not permitted but was allowed for residents of S. Acworth, and I had received permission, in person to collect as much beryl as I could find back in 1972. I lived about 1/2 mile away and when they blasted we could tell, ah, those were the days.

[@johannesswarts1440]

Mr Flynn - see my latest comments. I have very fond memories of Beryl Mountain!

[@richiesun9676]

I'm going to go look 😂

[@BluesStraightFromTheHarp]

Hi there! We live in the Louden area in NH. Any ideas for rock hounding? Do you still go out? I’d love to learn! I’ve been to NY, NC & TX rock hounding (fossils) in TX. I’d love to see some places here! Be well and thank you for the heads up on the Beryl. Ian

[@pickitup7008]

You are awesome at this stuff! Thanks for sharing

[@BluesStraightFromTheHarp]

Sir! Thank you for this. We live in the Loudon area, any suggestions for rock hounding? This is great! Thank you again so much! Ian

[@nickporter2071]

What a spectacular find. I cannot believe something this big came out of Portland. Didnt know Connecticut had mining like that, need to get over there im the town over from there

[@michaelwallis2184]

Pretty cool 😎 thanks

[@artsymamanana]

We are from the NH/Maine area. I was wondering if you would know of a place to go for rocks that is not too hard to drag a wheelchair in. My son is a quadriplegic, but he likes stones and polishing stones in his tumbler. I understand it is a far stretch to find a place that would work for him, but you never know!

[@flyinpolack6633]

Possibly ruggles mine in NH. It just re opened this year

[@RedmanOutdoors366]

That's awesome love it smashed the Bell🔔 😎👍

[@AdamGell]

Any suggestions to go to a mineral quarry near plymouth..for collecting ?

[@jonlamontagne]

Jim do you have any contact info I have a 6-year-old rockhound and would love to speak with you and maybe join you on an adventure finding the "treasure" is the goal, keeping them is secondary and not even needed just the adventure. Thanks for your time hope to hear from you.

[@juanmiranda6719]

What about Golden Massachusetts?

[@CandSMINING]

Thanks for doing your video and sharing. I subbed to you #279.

[@ripussr1766]

This guy was either a coach or mobster back in the day, maybe even both.

[@219SandPond]

Good Job.

[@jacksonstone190]

THANKS! He has so much knowledge to share!

[@morningdrums]

Where can I find gold in southern New Hampshire? Like, keene, jaffrey, Manchester and the like

[@jacksonstone190]

I am not sure but you should ask Jim on his channel! kzbin.info

[@Eclectic_RN]

You can only find minute traces, and I mean microscopic, if that. Try the Boy Scout location in Vermont if it's open to collecting.

[@ze2149]

@@Eclectic_RN I read that you can find nuggets in certain locations. And theres a range of mountains with fossils that goes through Vermont to Quebec that also contains gold

[@ripussr1766]

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