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Old Gold Mine Found In Restaurant Dining Room

MrRING

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Dahlonega Restaurant Strikes Gold
Provided By: The Associated Press

DAHLONEGA, Ga. (AP) -- The Smith House in Dahlonega may have been sitting on a gold mine for more than a century.

While renovating the landmark hotel and restaurant, workers uncovered the entrance to what may have been a gold mine built in the late 1800s. After tearing up concrete in what used to be the main dining room of the family restaurant, the contractor discovered a hole in the earth, said Chris Welch, whose family owns the Smith House.

They descended into the 19-foot hole for the first time on Tuesday. "We never would have known it if we hadn't chipped up the concrete," Welch said. Welch's brother-in-law, Mike Bafile, was lowered into the hole Tuesday using a pulley, a rope and several strong men. He yelled up to the many eager spectators that he stood on a wooden platform and dirt that appeared to cover a deeper shaft.

The mine's origin, depth and reach are still the stuff of stories. Capt. Frank Hall built the house in 1884. Legend has it the city would not allow Hall to dig for gold on the property, partly because it was too close to the downtown square and because Hall was a Yankee. It would appear that he built the house to cover his operation until his health failed and he sold the land to Henry and Bessie Smith in 1922.

"They say he was the richest man in Lumpkin County," said Freddy Welch, Chris' father. Notables such as Lester Maddox and Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter have eaten in the room where the Welchs are now digging. Shirley Welch, Freddy's wife, said they used to joke with customers that they were dining on top of a gold mine.

They didn't know it was true.

"You never know when you step into the Smith House, do you, if we're feeding people or digging for gold," she said, laughing.

The 1828 gold rush brought 15,000 miners to Dahlonega at its peak. Between 1838 and 1861, $6 million in gold was coined at the U.S. Branch Mint in Dahlonega, according to the gold museum's Web site, www.dahlonegagold.com. Tales of a network of mines in the city center run through Dahlonega lore. Even revered local historians like the late Madeleine Anthony passed along the legend, said Gainesville architect Garland Reynolds, who is involved in renovating the Smith House and also helped restore the Dahlonega courthouse.

"She always said the mother lode was under the courthouse under the square," Reynolds said. "But the city fathers wouldn't let them (dig) for the obvious collapse of the building." Chris Welch said the family plans to sift some dirt samples for gold, coins or tools that may have been used to mine the property. Eventually, they would like to preserve it as a public historical site. "They've got a gold mine in a tourist attraction if nothing else," Reynolds said.
 
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