Davis, Massachusetts
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Davis, Massachusetts, is the abandoned location of the Davis Pyrite Mine, located in the town of Rowe, Massachusetts. Once the largest iron pyrite mine in
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, Davis grew to be a decent sized mining village at the beginnings of the
Second Industrial Revolution The Second Industrial Revolution, also known as the Technological Revolution, was a phase of rapid Discovery (observation), scientific discovery, standardisation, mass production and industrialisation from the late 19th century into the early ...
(1870–1915). But in 1911, a non-fatal collapse of the mine due to "poor mining practices" ended the nearly 30-year run. By 1937, the mining camp had faded, and all that remained was a blacksmith shop and about 150 cellar holes.


Location

Davis is located at . The abandoned mining village is located in the Town of Rowe, in Franklin County, about north of Charlemont and south-southeast of Rowe. The area is east of Davis Mine Road and west of Davis Mine Brook. Both Rowe (2000 pop - 351) and Charlemont (2000 pop - 1358) are small towns in the rolling hills of northwestern Massachusetts. Rowe was established in 1762 and incorporated in 1785, and Charlemont was established in 1742 and incorporated in 1765.


Mining camp settlement

An iron pyrite outcrop was discovered and a mine developed by H.J. Davis around 1882. The eastern section of Rowe, called Davis, became the center of activity because of the profitable operation of Davis Sulfur Ore Mine for twenty-nine years. The Davis Mine supplied a major economic boost to both Rowe and Charlemont. A good-sized mining camp developed at the site, which included a
blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
shop, butcher shop, electric lighting, and at least 150 homes. There were four
mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...
shafts, and a period photo of Shaft #1 shows a large enclosed headframe (shafthouse)
tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
and what appears to be a reduction works of some kind (smokestack and large building). It is said the mine produced about 100 tons of pyrite a day, and the iron sulfide was used to produce
sulfuric acid Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen, ...
, a commercially important chemical. Charlemont claims to be the first electrified town in Massachusetts, so it is possible that power was then run to the mining camp. The miners are said to have earned $12–15 per day (that claim has not been verified), which in those days was excellent pay.


Economic impact

Until its 1911 cave-in, the Davis mine had become a mainstay of Rowe’s economy. It was a lucrative source of iron pyrite. Popularly known as ''fool's gold'', pyrite can be processed to yield substantial quantities of sulfide, which can in turn be used to manufacture sulfuric acid. (The mine also yielded smaller but, nevertheless, financially significant amounts of
copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
.)
The pyrite deposit is located in mica and
quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The Atom, atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen Tetrahedral molecular geometry, tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tet ...
schists, which includes the presence of chalcopyrite and
sphalerite Sphalerite is a sulfide mineral with the chemical formula . It is the most important ore of zinc. Sphalerite is found in a variety of deposit types, but it is primarily in Sedimentary exhalative deposits, sedimentary exhalative, Carbonate-hoste ...
. Average
sulfur Sulfur ( American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur ( Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms ...
content was reported to be 47 percent, and
copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
content about 1.5 percent.Rutledge, J.J. ''Davis pyrites mine Massachusetts,'' Engineering and Mining Journal, vol. 82, pp. 673-676, 724-727, 772-774. 1906. By 1875, Charlemont's industrial base was limited to several sawmills, two
scythe A scythe (, rhyming with ''writhe'') is an agriculture, agricultural hand-tool for mowing grass or Harvest, harvesting Crop, crops. It was historically used to cut down or reaping, reap edible grain, grains before they underwent the process of ...
snatches (handles) shops and a chair making operation. With the opening and success of the Davis iron pyrite and talc mine in Rowe in the 1880s, a prospecting craze developed in the area. In 1892 the main shaft was 501 feet deep, and production was reported to be 334,552 tons of pyrite.Quinn, A.W. ''Geology of the Charlemont-Heath area with special reference to pyrite and copper deposits.'' 1945. Mining operations were also opened in Charlemont during this period and included the Massachusetts Talc Company in the village of Zoar. The merchants of Charlemont Center benefited greatly from this prospecting craze. Two shops opened in the early 1890s, which were important to the Town's economy for a number of years. In 1891, W.M. Pratt established a rake handle factory and the following year, H.H. Frary opened a carriage shop, which also produced wooden spools for the silk mills in Northampton. During its 29-year working life, the Davis Mine pumped thousands of tax dollars into the town’s coffers, and became a local
tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beaut ...
as well. Visitors could climb an observation tower above the main shaft for a panoramic view of the bustling operation, which featured on-site blacksmith and butcher shops, a steady traffic of horse-drawn ore and coal wagons and the town’s first electric lighting. The annual payroll amounted to $100,000, and local farmers made extra income supplying the mine with timber and firewood, while selling fruit, vegetables and
dairy product Dairy products or milk products are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, goat, nanny goat, and Sheep, ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food around the world such as y ...
s to the workers.


Today

Little remains of the camp today. The area has several cellar holes of defunct houses, and second-growth forest has staked its claim to much of the land along these unpaved backroads. However, the Davis Mine is a major study area as there are ecological concerns due to a
pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause harm. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the component ...
plume exuding from the old workings down into Davis Mine Creek. When the mine collapsed,
groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and Pore space in soil, soil pore spaces and in the fractures of stratum, rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available fresh water in the world is groundwater. A unit ...
seeped into the old workings, and now flows out and downhill into the creek. The University of Massachusetts Amherst has used this as a study site. The remains of the Davis Mine are on private property (it is posted), so access is not available. Other abandoned mines of the Davis Mine period in the Charlemont area within the Hawley "Mineral Belt" stratabound massive sulfide deposit are the Hawks or Mt. Peak Mine and the Mary Louise or Davenport Mine.


Pollution study

Acid mine drainage (AMD), occurring at abandoned mines, is a water problem characterized by low pH and high levels of metals. An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Massachusetts Amherst is studying why the AMD from the abandoned sulfide mine is slowly cleaning itself over time. The group brings together experts from the fields of
microbiology Microbiology () is the branches of science, scientific study of microorganisms, those being of unicellular organism, unicellular (single-celled), multicellular organism, multicellular (consisting of complex cells), or non-cellular life, acellula ...
,
geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...
,
engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
, and
science education Science education is the teaching and learning of science to school children, college students, or adults within the general public. The field of science education includes work in science content, science process (the scientific method), some ...
, to determine the extent and rate of bioremediation. According to professors in the study, the overflowing groundwater drains out of the old mine shafts, and flows down the stream channel. The drainage waters are more acidic than vinegar, with pH values around 2, and carry large loads of metals, including
copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
,
zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...
, and
iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...
. In other areas of the country, similar acid-mine drainage from former
coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...
or
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
mines can mobilize additional undesirable
contaminants Contamination is the presence of a constituent, impurity, or some other undesirable element that renders something unsuitable, unfit or harmful for the physical body, natural environment, workplace, etc. Types of contamination Within the scie ...
. Researchers stress, however, that there is no threat to the local environment or the area's
water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Th ...
, because the iron sulfide in the Davis mine contains few hazardous impurities. This makes the site an ideal subject for examining the natural processes that are contained in the drainage. Researchers have said their findings may enable quicker natural cleanups not just at the Davis mine, but at others throughout the country and the world. The project has received a $1.59-million grant from the "Biocomplexity in the Environment" program of the
National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...
.


See also

* List of ghost towns in Massachusetts


Notes and references

* Luciano, Elizabeth, Bio-Medicine
Web Portal A web portal is a specially designed website that brings information from diverse sources, like emails, online forums and search engines, together in a uniform way. Usually, each information source gets its dedicated area on the page for displayin ...
Article, 2002 * McCarthy, Helen, ''The Story of the Davis Mine'', Rowe Historical Society, 1966, 1977 * O'Carroll, Christopher, UMass Magazine, Fall 2003 * Speck, Gary B. ''Davis Mine: Franklin Co., Massachusetts''. Ancestry.com Community: Gary B. Speck Publications, 2006.) * Stauber, C.L ''The Use of Local Carbon Sources in Encouraging Acid Mine Drainage Bioremediation''


External links


Ancestry.com



Rowe, MA

Charlemont, MA

Bio-Medicine article, 2002


* {{authority control History of Franklin County, Massachusetts Ghost towns in Massachusetts Villages in Franklin County, Massachusetts Villages in Massachusetts