Near Kershaw in Lancaster County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Haile Gold Mine

Photographed by Michael Sean Nix, October 28, 2009

1. Haile Gold Mine Marker (front)

Inscription. (Front) In 1827 Benjamin Haile (1768-1842) found gold here while panning in the streams on his plantation. After he found gold ore as well, Haile set up a mining operation. By 1837 the Haile Gold Mine included a 5-stamp mill, with steel stamps or pestles that crushed ore into dust from which gold was extracted. Haile leased small plots to entrepreneurs who used slave labor to mine gold.

(Reverse) The mine was not successful until the 1880s, when its owners hired Adolf Thies (1832-1917), a German mining engineer who perfected a new extraction process. A 60-stamp mill processed 100 tons a day, producing more gold than any mine east of the Mississippi. After a deadly boiler explosion in 1908, the mine closed in 1912. It operated briefly during World Wars I and II and the 1990s.

Erected 2004 by Lancaster County Historical Commission. (Marker Number 29-27.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1827.

Location. 34° 35.901′ N, 80° 32.562′ W. Marker is near Kershaw, South Carolina, in Lancaster County. It is on Gold Mine Highway (U.S. 601) 0.2 miles south of Snowy Owl Road, on the right when traveling north

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. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6911 Snowy Owl Rd, Kershaw SC 29067, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Midlands

and in the Olde English District. It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Thomas L. Clyburn House (approx. 0.6 miles away); Kershaw (approx. 4.1 miles away); Welsh's Station / Kershaw Depot (approx. 4.2 miles away); Kershaw's First Library (approx. 4.2 miles away); Flat Creek Baptist Church (approx. 4.8 miles away); The Battle of the Hanging Rock (approx. 7.2 miles away); The Hanging Rock Mineral Spring (approx. 7.3 miles away); Battle of Hanging Rock (approx. 7½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kershaw.

More about this marker. This marker was originally located 1.8 miles south at Haile Gold Mine Road (GPS 34.57511, -80.55515).

Regarding Haile Gold Mine. The gold mine is on private property posted with no trespassing signs and surrounded with fences and gates.

Also see . . .
1. OceanaGold Haile Gold Mine. (Submitted on May 9, 2022.)
2. Haile Gold Mine History by Louise Pettus (pdf file). Winthrop University (Submitted on May 9, 2022.)

Haile Gold Mine Marker (reverse) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Michael Sean Nix, October 28, 2009

2. Haile Gold Mine Marker (reverse)

Original Location on Haile Gold Mine Rd image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Anna Inbody, January 18, 2012

3. Original Location on Haile Gold Mine Rd

Haile Gold Mine Sign image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Anna Inbody, January 18, 2012

4. Haile Gold Mine Sign

Public visitors are not welcome.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 31, 2009, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 4,557 times since then and 107 times this year. Last updated on September 4, 2023, by Ronald Patton of Lancaster, South Carolina. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 31, 2009, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina. 3, 4. submitted on January 18, 2012, by Anna Inbody of Columbia, South Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.