silver in Kentucky

[scarlet559]

Hi, I,ve browsed this site a little and haven't seen any thing about silver in Kentucky.I was born and raised in a rurel community in Kentucky. I remember john L Lewis coming into our community and trying to locate a silver mine.I went down in one of the caves once he opened up ,my father took me down there. It was a large room under ground.He never found any silver. My father always said he was looking on the wrong hill. My father told a story about a man that would come to our farm each fall and go hunting. He would be gone almost all day and load sacks of papaws into his truck. He told my father that it was papaws.My father said that this man was arrested on charges of making his own coins and passing them for gov. coins. The gov. had to let him go because his coins were purier silver that the gov. coins.My father said after this ,they never saw the man again. It was my fathers belief that the silver was on our farn ,in one of the caves.I was a young girl and didn't pay attention to my father and do not know the mans name. Has any one ever heard this story? I would love to find this mans name. Of course he is long dead,but the farm is still in our family and just maybe this man let people who knew about it. Thanks

 

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[jeff of pa]

DONT? ? ?know the story, BUT in Greenup County, on the OHIO RIVER, near Greenup, is supposed to be a LOST INDIAN SILVER MINE? <> and in Letcher County there are supposed to be several in the KINGS CREEK area in the Pine Mtn. Range. <> and Lewis County, there are stories of a Lost Silver Mine with Bars of Silver Burried near a Smelter in the Kinney Creek area. this is all I know about them tho

 

[jeff of pa]

also BELL COUNTY, a LOST SILVER MINE & CACHE OF TREASURE. an area called PINE MTN.? one Quarter of a Million Dollars in Silver Coins and minted bars in a Silver Mine................................................................... IF YOU NAME THE COUNTY, I'll try and do a little more Research

 

[WIhawk]

There is a pretty extensive story on Lost Treasure Online in today's tip-of-the-day. It was from their July 1975 issue. Pretty interesting. Good luck!

 

[Siegfried Schlagrule]

The only memory I have of a counterfeiter being found innocent because his products were more pure than government issue was a man named Yocum and they called them Yocum dollars. Where and when they circulated I don't remember. There may be a story about them in the Red Book issued yearly or possibly a google search will get you the story. exanimo, ss

 

[snake35]

I am currently researching/searching the eastern kentucky area for the john swift silver mines. Anyone that has more info or would like to go looking e-mail me.

 

[grizzly bare]

scarlet559, This may be of no help at all, but Google 'Sol Mullins'. He was a counterfeiter who worked out of the Breaks area. He had a silver mine there and mined for years and made phony dollars. Old rumors had him digging silver out of mine originally dug by a halfbreed Shawnee named Captain Jack.(Could be wrong name. He's the one killed over next to Big Stone Gap. Had the SaddleRock near High Knob Norton)

 

[Roadquest]

Can you send me some of those papaws, I have not had one since I was a kid....lol

 

[Gypsy Heart]

I did find this ....
It was somewhere near the mouths of Mill Branch and Rock Run, according to some family traditions, that Jacob Sprinkle lived and worked his silver into silver coins. (They were not counterfeit because they had not likeness to U.S. Currency of the time.) We have no corroborating evidence that he lived in this specific area, but Lewis County court records do show that he was arrested and tried for making counterfeit U.S. currency that contained a great deal of silver, but he was acquitted of the charge because his coins could not meet the criteria for counterfeiting. Persons called to testify in the case appear to have been residents of this general section of Kinney.

 

[diggummup]

I don't know anything about the silver mine.If your anywhere near Lexington,I have a couple old treasure tales.The first is supposed to be the contents of a chest of silver and gold,stolen from a bank in Nicholasville supposedly lies at the bottom of Mills Pond.However,a few coins were recovered in 1910 by a fishing guide.Another is the story that William Petit hid some "treasure" at Alleghany Hall,south of Lex..

 

[La Panza kid]

thanks for the story that was a good one. looks like you have a good search on your hand.good luck

 

[Two Dogs Barking]

Hunted for the Swift Silver Mines for almost seven years back in the 80's. Looked mainly in Menifee County. Can't say what we found, as in names carved on rocks or in cliff shelters...dates from the mid 1700's...trailings...etc. Can tell you this...there is a fault that runs SE to NW in the Eastern part of the state. After we gave it up, we began to look for silver ore in veins...since from what we could tell, something went on there a long time ago. Found a vein of silver sulfite in hydrothermal dolomite. Seems that way back when Kentucky was under one of the shallow swamp seas, there was a magma chamber formed, but did not go into a full volcanic eruption. The water above the chamber however interacted with the magma, and caused the hydrothermal dolomite to be deposited in dikes in the mudstone layers that lie beneath the limestone layers that are in that part of the country. They are easy to see if the mudstone is exposed, which is rare. The mudstone is a reddish brown color, while the hydrothermal dolomite dikes are chalk white. The vein we found can't be worked...right in the middle of the Daniel Boone...so we didn't bother with it. There is no doubt silver in Kentucky. I remember that day well when we found the vein. The white dolomite looked as if someone had peppered it. When I looked at the rock with my loop, little dark pyramids looked back. Don't hunt any more...too old and broke down. Best of luck...and if you are serious about looking for Swift's mines...Menifee County may be your best bet. Get the Quad that takes in Frenchburg on the very west edge, then put the directions given in Henson's book "The Lost Silver Mines of John Swift" to use...especially pay close attention to how he words the location of the mines by use of the creeks. And by the way...the only river that I know of that flows west is the Red River into the Kentucky. Hope this helps...but everything else I have to keep to myself.

 

[Rebel - KGC]

There is a "child board" on THIS web-site... SWIFT'S SILVER MINES... (TREASURE LEGENDS). YES! There is/was SILVER in Kentucky; and YES! there are stories about "counterfeiters" being busted because THEIR "coinage" was MORE "pure" than the FEDS. It is thought by SOME, that the J. Swift's Legends from ALL the states were former pirates/privateers who took on a "NEW Enterprise" of turning THEIR gold/silver into coins for the separate
states, until the FEDS centralized EVERYTHING. This was @ 1783 - 1822. The MELUNGEONS (people of the mountains) ALSO were "into" this... SOL MULLINS from southwest VIRINIA, is a GOOD story/legend to review. Jean LaFitte from New Orleans, MAY have been the REAL BEALE/BEALL from the Beale Treasure in VIRGINIA...
DUNNO. AHOY!!

 

[Two Dogs Barking]

I don't know if that was a slur in regard to my post, or to me. I posted the information about what I know for those who are interested in looking for silver in Kentucky. I have two degrees from an accredited college, worked for the Kentucky Dept. of Justice, traveled abroad, etc. etc. etc. I know what I'm talking about, but I won't talk about it anymore. I recommend looking on the Child's Board for further information.

 

[Casull]

I know this is an old post, but I am curious. Just why in the world would a counterfeiter make coins with MORE silver than the government coins? Think about it. It just doesn't make sense.

 

[Rebel - KGC]

IF... they were melting down "pirates booty"... counterfeiting coins for individual states/colonies was PROSPEROUS, and "safer" for former pirates/privateers...

 

[Mr.Jody]

Look up cheif Doublehead...

 

[John the L]

If he had plenty silver, perhaps there was not a need to adulterate his "base" metal. I enjoyed your post and the original of this. I am a new member in Dallas County Texas. John the L