Grindstones used at old gold mine

[tribo]

In or around 1880- 1890 years my great grandfather operated a gold mine in central North Carolina. There is no remaining evidence of the mine as is was filled and paved over around 1965. What does remain are two grindstones that are about 6 feet in diameter and 18 or so inches thick. One appears to have laid flat and the other was vertical and rolled in a circle around the circumference of the flat stone.

My question is anyone familiar with this type of process? I am not sure what powered this assembly. I don't think I have ever seen stones like this anywhere else.

Are these more common than I think?

 

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[Goldwasher]

What your describing sounds like a millstone.... Here is an Arrastra Arrastra - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. They were used in the mainly out west and in Mexico for sure. I havn't heard of them used on the east coast. Normally there is a rock that drags, not a rolling stone like you describe. Maybe it was a flour mill that he used for crushing ore.

 

[Oakview2]

YUP

 

[tribo]

That looks similar in concept. As as for the flour mill, these stones look like what you might see at a flour mill. only much larger. And as I understand it, gold was mined in quartz rich veins in this area. I am told the old mine was a vertical shaft about 100 feet deep. I know when the built the road over the shaft, a bulldozer collapsed the hole and had to be pulled out. Multiple loads of gravel then filled the hole.

 

[russau]

I know the old mill stones are very valuable if not broken! I saw a show about them about a year ago.

 

[lonetown]

What you are describing would be an oil mill where oil is pressed from the raw material. Such as linseed oil from flax. The runner would be rolled around the underlying stone. I have a picture of one from the Netherlands here: https://flic.kr/p/5jmijk

 

[tribo]

Here is a photo. This is the stone that is normally vertical.

 

[gold tramp]

View attachment 1160700 View attachment 1160701

Here is a photo. This is the stone that is normally vertical.

the ones with the vertical wheel stones were of the Chilean type mill. nice artifact !!
GT.........

 

[Goldwasher]

In Coloma