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Lead Mine LbNA #60480 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:pennylodge
Plant date:Jul 30, 2011
Location: Lead Mine Road
City:Madison
County:Carroll
State:New Hampshire
Boxes:1
Found by: crazy animal crew
Last found:Aug 25, 2017
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFr
Last edited:Jul 26, 2019
Ephraim Tibbetts, veteran of the War of 1812 came to Madison (then still part of Eaton) discovered and opened the Lead Mine in 1826. In 1923 the machinery was sent to Colorado and the mine was closed for good. The mine had many owners with varying degrees of success throughout its years of operation. This was once a bustling little community with a boarding house, stables and barns for cows and chickens, brick water cistern and other small buildings. The Madison Census 1870 pp. 12-18 includes 14 mine workers, 10 of which were boarders here. The mine is across from the parking area marked by signs stating “caution open mine shaft, approach at your own risk.” The mine currently consists of a water-filled elongated, north-south open pit 210 feet long and up to 40 feet wide. The surrounding forested area is sprinkled with rubble, free standing chimneys and other miscellaneous relics of the simple hard working country folks and days gone by. In 1933 Zantford Granville (developer of the Gee Bee racing plane) contacted the mine’s owner with an interest in reopening it. After multiple correspondences back and forth, Zantford decided to drop the idea. The mine and it buildings were left in silence to crumble on the shore of Cook’s Pond.

Clues: You may access the Lead Mine from two directions.

First, From Rte. 41 in Silver Lake, turn onto East Shore Drive for 1.1 miles. Turn right onto the Lead Mine Road. Travel .6 miles and see a dirt parking area on your left.

Second: From Rte. 113 in Madison, turn onto East Madison Road for 1.6 miles then right onto the Lead Mine Road. Follow the dirt road 2.3 miles till you come to a small parking area on the right.

Once parked, look towards the right of the parking area. Discover the path and follow it down to Cook’s Pond. Notice the ruins to your left. This is what is left of the mine’s once huge Processing/Washing Plant. Explore the sandy beach near the water to discover deer and or moose prints. You may also see Great Blue Herons and Canada Geese in the water. With your back to Cook’s Pond face the concrete foundation. You will see a small Birch tree. Next to this tree there is a hole in the foundation hidden behind a rock. Ta-daaaa! You have found it! Be sure to rehide it where you found it.


Hike length: 0.5 miles