Pine Mountain Gold Mine
Also known as: Stockmar Gold Mine
Why it's listed
Pine Mountain Gold Mine is a 28.77-acre mining complex on a small wooded mountain northeast of Villa Rica, Georgia. Gold mining here is said to have begun in 1826 and continued until 1936. The earliest remains are hand-dug trenches for panning gold, followed by large pits including the Old Glory Hole and a miner's tunnel through the mountain. In 1915 the operation adopted cyanide leaching, and the site retains reinforced-concrete tanks, a reservoir, a sump tank, and ore stacking bins from that process. The nomination describes it as the only known Georgia gold mine to use cyanide leaching. It also notes a dispute over whether gold was found here in 1826, which would make it the site of an earlier gold rush than the 1829 rush near Dahlonega. The property was donated to the city in 2001 and now operates as a park with a museum. Later ruins from a dude ranch and a block works are not counted as historic features of the mine.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the mine is an excellent example of two major phases of U.S. gold mining: early antebellum trench mining and 20th-century cyanide leaching. It is described as the only known Georgia gold mine to use the cyanide leaching process. It is also tied to a possible 1826 gold rush that may have hastened white settlement of west Georgia.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 08000834, listed August 28, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1881 Stockmar Rd., Villa Rica |
|---|---|
| County | Douglas County |
| Listed | August 28, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08000834 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1826-1936 |
| Architectural style | OTHER: Gold Mine |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Industry, Exploration/Settlement |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Donated to the city of Villa Rica in 2001 and developed as a recreational and educational park; a 5,000-square-foot museum was built on the site in 2007. |
| Acreage | 28.7 |
| Coordinates | 33.75391, -84.88569 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 08000834.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q66092151
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.