After the discovery of a 17-pound nugget in Little Meadow Creek, North Carolina, the state became a major hotbed of gold mining as a part of the first American gold rush in 1799. Early discoveries ...

1 of 5 — Main Street Gold Hill NC Looking South_ Men in front of the Post Office-Three Corner Store.jpg Courtesy Vivian Hopkins and Historic Gold Hill and Mines Foundation, Inc. 2 of 5 — Union Copper ...

A “rock” that was tossed to the side was actually a huge piece of gold, North Carolina historians said. Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site, N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources A gold ...

A gold mine was running dry — but a North Carolina man held onto hope when he visited 129 years ago. Jacob Shinn’s optimism was rewarded when he hit something hard while digging on April 9, 1896. The ...