Davis, Massachusetts facts for kids
Davis, Massachusetts, is the abandoned site of the Davis Pyrite Mine. It's located in the town of Rowe, Massachusetts. This mine was once the biggest iron pyrite mine in Massachusetts. Davis grew into a busy mining village during the start of the Second Industrial Revolution (around 1870–1915). However, in 1911, the mine collapsed. This event, caused by "poor mining practices," ended its nearly 30-year operation. By 1937, the mining village had almost disappeared. Only a blacksmith shop and about 150 old foundations remained.
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Where is Davis Located?
Davis is found at 42°41′52″N 72°52′13″W / 42.69778°N 72.87028°W.
This abandoned mining village is in the Town of Rowe. It's part of Franklin County. The site is about 3 miles north of Charlemont. It's also about 2 miles south-southeast of Rowe. The area is east of Davis Mine Road and west of Davis Mine Brook. Both Rowe and Charlemont are small towns. They are located in the rolling hills of northwestern Massachusetts.
How the Mining Village Started
A deposit of iron pyrite was found by H.J. Davis around 1882. Soon after, a mine was built. The eastern part of Rowe, which became known as Davis, grew into a busy center. This was because the Davis Sulfur Ore Mine was very successful for 29 years. The Davis Mine greatly helped the economies of both Rowe and Charlemont.
A good-sized mining village grew up around the mine. It had a blacksmith shop and a butcher shop. The village even had electric lighting. There were at least 150 homes for the miners. The mine itself had four mining shafts. One old photo of Shaft #1 shows a large building and a tram system. It's believed the mine produced about 100 tons of pyrite each day. This iron sulfide was used to make sulfuric acid, an important chemical. Charlemont claims to be the first town in Massachusetts with electricity. So, it's possible power was then sent to the mining village. Miners were said to earn $12–15 per day, which was excellent pay back then.
How the Mine Helped the Economy
The Davis Mine became very important to Rowe's economy. It was a rich source of iron pyrite. Pyrite is often called fool's gold. It can be processed to get a lot of sulfide. This sulfide is then used to make sulfuric acid. The mine also produced smaller, but still valuable, amounts of copper. The pyrite was found in mica and quartz schists. These rocks also contained chalcopyrite and sphalerite. The pyrite usually had about 47 percent sulfur and 1.5 percent copper.
By 1875, Charlemont mostly had sawmills. It also had shops that made scythe handles and chairs. When the Davis iron pyrite and talc mine opened in Rowe in the 1880s, people started looking for minerals everywhere. In 1892, the main mine shaft was 501 feet deep. The mine had produced 334,552 tons of pyrite by then.
Other mines also opened in Charlemont during this time. One was the Massachusetts Talc Company in Zoar. Shops in Charlemont Center greatly benefited from this mining boom. Two important shops opened in the early 1890s. In 1891, W.M. Pratt started a rake handle factory. The next year, H.H. Frary opened a carriage shop. This shop also made wooden spools for silk mills in Northampton.
During its 29 years of operation, the Davis Mine brought a lot of tax money to the town. It also became a local tourist attraction. Visitors could climb an observation tower above the main shaft. From there, they could see the busy mine. There were blacksmith and butcher shops on site. Horse-drawn wagons constantly moved ore and coal. The mine also had the town's first electric lighting. The mine's annual payroll was $100,000. Local farmers earned extra money by providing timber and firewood to the mine. They also sold fruit, vegetables, and dairy products to the workers.
What Remains Today
Not much is left of the mining village today. You can still see several old foundations where houses once stood. A new forest has grown over much of the land along these unpaved backroads.
However, the Davis Mine is an important study area. There are ecological concerns because of a pollution plume. This plume flows from the old mine workings down into Davis Mine Creek. When the mine collapsed, groundwater flowed into the old tunnels. Now, this water flows out and downhill into the creek. The University of Massachusetts Amherst has used this site for studies. The remains of the Davis Mine are on private property, so public access is not allowed. Other abandoned mines from the same period in the Charlemont area include the Hawks or Mt. Peak Mine and the Mary Louise or Davenport Mine.
Studying the Pollution
Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a water problem found at abandoned mines. It means the water has a low pH (is very acidic) and high levels of metals. A research team from the University of Massachusetts Amherst is studying the AMD from this abandoned mine. They want to know why it is slowly cleaning itself over time. The team includes experts in microbiology, geology, engineering, and science education. They are working to find out how much and how fast bioremediation is happening.
Professors in the study say that the overflowing groundwater drains from the old mine shafts. Then it flows down the stream channel. This drainage water is more acidic than vinegar, with a pH around 2. It carries large amounts of metals, including copper, zinc, and iron. In other parts of the country, similar acid mine drainage from old coal or gold mines can spread other unwanted contaminants. However, researchers stress that there is no threat to the local environment or the area's water supply. This is because the iron sulfide in the Davis mine has few dangerous impurities. This makes the site perfect for studying natural cleanup processes.
Researchers believe their findings could help speed up natural cleanups. This could happen not just at the Davis mine, but at other mines around the country and the world. The project has received a $1.59-million grant. This grant came from the "Biocomplexity in the Environment" program of the National Science Foundation.
