The Reed Gold Mine, located in Midland, North Carolina, is the site of the first documented gold find in the United States.
In 1799, Conrad Reed, the son of farmer and former Hessian soldier John Reed (nee Johannes Reith), found a large yellow rock in Little Meadow Creek on the family farm in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. For three years, the rock served as a doorstop. In 1802, a jeweler in Fayetteville identified the rock as a gold nugget and purchased it from John Reed for $3.50. The nugget's true value was, in all likelihood, over $3000.
About 1803, John Reed organized a small gold mining operation. A 28-pound nugget was discovered not long afterward. Placer mining continued for a number of years, and underground mining began in 1831. The last underground mining activity at the Reed occurred in 1912. The last large nugget uncovered by placer mining was discovered in 1896.
John Reed died wealthy in 1845. Some years later, the civil war caused activity at the mine to decrease.
Today, the mine site is a state historic site, and is open to the public. Visitors can tour a museum with extensive information about North Carolina gold mining, and can walk through several hundred feet of restored mine tunnels.
