I am trying to identify a stone structures next to two mine shafts on a historic
mine site on the Sumter National Forest in Oconee County , SC. The site was
probably used in the 1850s and contains a couple of deep vertical shafts (15 x
15, and 10 x 10) and several adits, trenches and smaller prospecting holes.
They were probably mining argentiferous galena (silver-lead). The stone
sturctures are about 15 feet from the shafts, are mud mortared fieldstone, and
about six feet square. They are each located upslope of the shafts on steep
slopes and do not appear to have associated building foundations. They look
like chimneys, but I have not seen soot or any charcoal or slag near the
chimneys. Photos are on the attached:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/fms/forest/projects/OconeeCountyHistoricMineStructur
es.shtml
Any Ideas? Thanks, Jim Bates