Tantiusques facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tantiusques
Tantiusques
Location	Massachusetts, United States
Established	1962
Operator	The Trustees of Reservations
Website	Tantiusques

Tantiusques ("Tant-E-oos-kwiss") is a special place in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. It's a 57-acre (230,000 m²) area of open land and a historic site. This spot is famous for its old graphite mines, which are no longer used.

The name Tantiusques comes from the Nipmuc people. It means "the place between two low hills." The Nipmuc used the graphite from this area to make special paints for their ceremonies. Today, The Trustees of Reservations own and manage Tantiusques. It's a great place to explore nature and history.

Uncovering Tantiusques' Past

Tantiusques has a long and interesting history. It was once a busy mining area.

Early Mining Days

In 1644, John Winthrop the Younger started a mining business here. He was the son of the first leader of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Besides graphite, they also found small amounts of lead and iron.

The Winthrop family owned the mine until 1784. Mining was often difficult, and it didn't always make much money.

The Pencil Connection

In 1828, a Boston merchant named Frederic Tudor bought the property. He successfully mined graphite for over 25 years. His mining operations stopped when he passed away in 1864.

Tudor hired Captain Joseph Dixon and his son. They later started the J.D. Crucible Company in New Jersey. This company eventually became Dixon Ticonderoga, which makes the famous pencils you might use today!

The Mines Today

By 1910, all mining at Tantiusques had stopped. The forest has grown back, but you can still see signs of the old mines. There are mine cuts, ditches, and piles of leftover rock.

The newest mine tunnel goes into the side of a low ridge. It was dug in 1902. Most of the mining here was done by digging long, open trenches. One trench was once 1,000-foot (300 m) long and 20 feet (6.1 m) to 50 feet (15 m) deep.

Becoming a Protected Area

In 1962, The Trustees of Reservations received Tantiusques as a gift. It was given by Roger Chaffee to honor his professor, George H. Haynes. Professor Haynes had written a book about the mine in 1902.

In 1983, the mine was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a very important historical site.

The Robert Crowd Site

The Crowd Site is another part of the Tantiusques reservation. It was bought in 2002. Here, you can find the old foundations of a house and barn.

Who Was Robert Crowd?

These buildings belonged to Robert Crowd. He was a mine worker in the 1850s. Robert Crowd had both African American and Native American heritage.

Interestingly, one of the mine's customers during Crowd's time was the pencil factory of Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau is famous for writing Walden; or, Life in the Woods.

A Home's Story

Robert Crowd's house was built around 1815. It was first home to John Davis and Rhoda Vinton. After John Davis died, the house became a rental property. Mine workers lived there in the 1830s.

In 1842, Robert Crowd and his wife Diantha Scott bought the house. They bought more land over time. The house was lived in by different families until it burned down around 1924.

Digging Up the Past

In the 1990s, experts from Old Sturbridge Village did archaeological digs at the site. They found that the Davis/Crowd house was similar to other small homes from that time. These types of houses are now very rare in New England.

Archaeologists found many items from the past. These items help us understand how people lived long ago.

What You Can See Today

When you visit Tantiusques, you can still see parts of the old graphite mine.

Mine Features

You'll find several trenches, piles of rock, and old paths. The main rock-cut is a trench about 400 feet long. The mine shaft, which tunnels into the ridge, is the newest part.

Most of the mining was done in open trenches. One very long trench is now separated by Lead Mine Road. Over the years, some parts of the mine have collapsed or filled in.

The Mine Shaft Entrance

The best-preserved part is a mine shaft entrance. It's about 150 feet south of the parking area. This shaft goes about 50 yards into the side of the ledge. Sometimes, it fills with ankle-deep water.

The Crowd Site Remains

At the Crowd Site, you can see the remains of two foundations. One is a deep cellar hole where the house stood. The other is a shallower one for the barn. There's also an old well that has been covered for safety.

Artifacts from the Past

Archaeologists found many items at the Crowd Site. These items tell us about the people who lived there.

What Was Found?

It's hard to know exactly which family owned every item. However, one group of artifacts is believed to be from the Crowd family. These items date from 1842 to 1860.

Some of the items found include:

• A piece of raw graphite
• Black glass buttons
• A piece of brass jewelry
• Animal bones (like beef and pig teeth)
• Fragments of tinware
• A glass inkwell
• Pieces of ceramics, like teacups and plates

These artifacts help experts at Old Sturbridge Village learn about how people lived in small houses during that time.

Nature at Tantiusques

Tantiusques is also a beautiful natural area. It's a very important place for wildlife.

Forest and Plants

The reservation is mostly covered by a dense forest. You'll see many oak and hickory trees. There are also patches of mountain laurel plants. This forest provides a home for many animals.

Birds and Wildlife

More than 25 types of birds have been seen at Tantiusques. This includes birds like the ovenbird and scarlet tanager. These birds often need large areas of forest to live.

You might also spot larger birds like turkeys and pileated woodpeckers. The forest is a safe place for many different creatures.

Things to Do at Tantiusques

Tantiusques is open all year, from sunrise to sunset. It's a great place for outdoor activities.

You can go hiking, mountain biking, or horseback riding. In winter, you can even go cross-country skiing. Hunting is also allowed during certain seasons.

A 1.5-mile (2 km) loop trail takes you through the forest to the old mine. Another trail leads to the ruins of the Robert Crowd Site. Here, you can see the foundations of the house and barn where Robert Crowd lived.

You can find the start of the trails on Leadmine Road in Sturbridge.