Tantiusques Graphite Mine
Posted by: 
dremoto
N 42° 03.545 W 072° 07.762
18T E 737529 N 4660324
Tantiusques ("tan-tas-qua") is a Nipmuck word meaning "to a black deposit between two hills." The reservation preserves the site of one of New England's first mining operations. In the days before the arrival of European colonists, the site was mined for graphite, also called "black lead," by the Nipmuc. The Nipmuc used the material to make ceremonial paints.
Waymark Code: WM6C34
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 05/11/2009
Views: 15
Tantiusques ("tan-tas-qua") is a Nipmuck word meaning "to a black deposit between two hills." The reservation preserves the site of one of New England's first mining operations. In the days before the arrival of European colonists, the site was mined for graphite, also called "black lead," by the Nipmuc. The Nipmuc used the material to make ceremonial paints.
In 1644, John Winthrop, Jr., son of the first Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, purchased the mine and the surrounding land from the Nipmuc and began the first commercial mining operation on the site. In addition to its known graphite deposits, John Winthrop, Jr. apparently also anticipated the extraction of lead and iron. The mine stayed in the hands of the Winthrop family until 1784 despite difficulties extracting minerals and its poor financial return.
The mine's subsequent ownership is vague until 1828, when Frederick Tudor, a Boston merchant, purchased the property. He successfully mined the graphite for over a quarter of a century. He employed Captain Joseph Dixon and his son who later would found the J.D. Crucible Company of New Jersey, famous manufacturer of pencils. Graphite was also a key ingredient in the manufacture of crucibles that were used to heat other substances to high temperatures. Later attempts to mine the area failed, and, by 1910, all mining operations had ceased.
Today, careful observers can see the mine cuts, ditches, and tailings piles made by the various mining operations. The mineshaft that tunnels into the face of the low ridge is the most recent of all the excavations, dating to 1902. Most of the mining at Tantiusques was of the open trench variety. The cut along the top of the ridge is the partially filled-in remainder of what was once a several thousand foot-long trench, 20 to 50 feet in depth and roughly 6 feet in width, that followed the vein of graphite.
A meandering 1.5-mile loop trail leads through woods filled with mountain laurel. This trail connects to a spur trail that passes through the adjacent Leadmine Wildlife Management Area and ends at the Crowd Site, where visitors may view the foundations of Robert Crowd's house and barn. A man of African American and Native American ancestry, Crowd worked at the Tantiusques mine in the 1850s.
Tantiusques was acquired by The Trustees of Reservations in 1962 through the generosity of Roger Chaffee, in memory of his professor, George H. Haynes of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Professor Haynes, a Sturbridge native, had a great interest in the history of the mine. In 1902, he published The Tale of Tantiusques - An Early Mining Venture in Massachusetts. In 1983, through the efforts of the Sturbridge Historical Commission, the mine was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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