5 Sep 2025 - Visit to Dahlonega GA: Gold Museum & Downtown Area, Gold Mine Tour

 

Today we drove about 33 miles NE of Cumming GA to the former gold mining town of Dahlonega GA.  It's claim to fame is the origin of the 1828 Georgia gold rush, which pre-dated the 1848 California gold rush by 20 years.  I had originally targeted a visit to the Dahlonega Gold Museum located in the 1836 courthouse in the downtown area, but then I found the nearby Consolidated Gold Mine from around 1900 and they offer tours.  So we made a day of it!

We made our way into the downtown Dahlonega area where the courthouse it, but it is a maze of narrow one-way streets with parking jutting out everywhere.  Surely not one-ton dually friendly!  After some careful driving we found a small parking area several blocks away and took it. 

Lumpkin County GA was established in 1832 and was the epicenter of the Georgia gold rush. The courthouse was built in 1836 and was replaced in 1965 with a new one.  So the story goes, it was scheduled for demolition to make room for a parking lot but the State ended up with it and it now houses the Dahlonega Gold Museum State Historic Site.

We toured the museum which occupies two floors.  The lower floor covered a lot of the history of the Georgia gold rush.  According to the most popular legend, it all started with a fellow by the name of Benjamin Parks who was deer hunting and kicked over a gold nugget.  Word spread and men came from every state seeking their fortune.  This accelerated the seizure of Cherokee lands by the Government.  Plots were dispersed to gold prospectors using a lottery system. 

In 1838, the Indian Removal Act forced the remaining Cherokee Indians to relocate to Indian Territory in the west in present-day Oklahoma.  We've seen and read about this during many of our SE travels - The Trail of Tears. 

There was so much gold found that they actually built a US Mint here where gold coins were struck.  The Mint is gone but they have a beautiful display of original coins in the museum. 

The US Mint building in Dahlonega GA

There were many interesting displays outlining the history of gold in this area.  The movie was getting ready to start so we moved upstairs to see it.  Upstairs was the actual courtroom, the judge's chambers, and the jury room.  We had to climb external stairs to enter the upper floor, and at the top of the stairs was a huge balcony.  

From its steps in 1849, Dr. M.F. Stephenson, assayor at the Mint, attempted to dissuade Georgia miners from leaving to join the California gold rush. His oration gave rise to the sayings: "There’s millions in it," and “Thar’s gold in them thar hills.”  I had heard that saying many times but never knew where it originated!  Here in Georgia!

We toured the upstairs area and one of the local historians joined us and gave us more information.  The bricks and mortar were all originally sourced locally and he showed us bricks in the building that contained gold!  

Gold-ladened bricks in the courthouse wall.

Juror's room

Judge's chambers

The courtroom where the movie is shown

We finished up in the museum and then went across the street to look at the shops.  We stopped in the General Store and looked around.  

Looking across the street from the balcony of the courthouse

We started back towards the truck, but Doreen spotted an Irish pub and it was lunchtime!  We both had fish and chips with a cold beverage, which hit the spot!

Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mine

Next stop was the Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mine which operated in Lumpkin County, Georgia, only from around 1900 to 1906.  They utilized a 120-stamp mill and chlorinator to process quartz from underground veins, making it the largest gold-processing facility east of the Mississippi River during its time. Most of the equipment is long gone, melted down for equipment during WWII.  The buildings are gone also, but they have constructed this facility over top of one of the mine entrances which we explored.  

Inside this building are two mine entrances where the tours start and end, plus a full lapidary shop, a "pan-for-gold" experience, a gen mining experience, and a gem/jewelry gift shop.  

While waiting for the tour to start we panned for gold.  They loaded up pans with actual material from the local area and they teach you how to pan. 

They finish it for you and extract the final gold.   There was not much there but it was fun doing it!

We did not opt for the gen mining, but they have sluice boxes set up and you process material and get to keep the gems that remain.  Here are some examples.

Soon our tour was about to start so we headed into a small room and then headed into the mine entrance.  There were about 15 in our group.  Our tour guide is a miner, and was very knowledgeable. He explained the tools and methods that were used to mine the gold.  Some pictures:

The tour took us about 200 ft underground and over 100 years back in time.  We were reminded initially there was no electric lighting back then so the miners used candles which they were issued every day.

Using hand drills and a sledge to make holes for the dynamite

Examples of a winch (Ingersoll Rand) and a hand pump 

An air-powered drill

Gold-rich rocks were hauled out of the mine, pulverized by the stamp mill, and then the results were processed using chemicals to extract the gold.  

Bare wires used to provide lighting later in the mining operation

More advanced pneumatic drills used years later. 

What goes down must come up!  So we worked our way 200 ft back to the mine exit.  I think I worked off the pint of Guinness I had with my lunch! 

We exited into the gift shop and looked around before leaving.  They had some beautiful items for sale.  

That is it for today.  Tomorrow we will meet up with my Air Force buddy Brad Herren and his wife Beth (happy birthday today, Beth!!) and we will do a tour and tasting at the Legends Distillery followed by dinner.