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Godlove Manganese Mine

Wardensville, West Virginia

39.0208°N 78.5058°W

Mine Overview

The Godlove Manganese Mine is near Wardensville, West Virginia. Historically the site has been associated with the Cedar Creek Valley Mining District which is now part of the George Washington National Forest. The site was first discovered in 1847 by Joel Williams. The Godlove Manganese Mine was closed at the time of data entry with no known plans to re-open. Past operations took place from 1847 to 1920. Production size when active was considered to be small. Mine operations consist of surface and underground workings. There is one known shaft. Subsurface depth reaches a maximum of 17 meters (56 feet) and extends 225 meters (738 feet) in length. The ore mined is composed of psilomelane and pyrolusite with waste material consisting primarily of chert. The ore body has a lenticular or lens shaped form 122 meters (400 feet) long, 61 meters (200 feet) wide, and 1 meters (4 feet) thick. The host rock in this area is sandstone. The Middle Section of the Appalachian Highlands characterize the geomorphology of the surrounding area.

Site identification and general characteristics. Learn about USGS mines.

  • Manganese Primary Commodity
  • Site Record Type?
  • Mine Development Status?
  • 1847 Year Discovered?
  • Joel Williams Discovered By?
  • 1847 to 1920 Last Year of Production
  • 1847 First Year Of Production?
  • 1920 Last Year Of Production?
  • Small Production Size?
  • Metallic Site Commodity Type?
  • Small Mine Size?

Mine Names

  1. Name? Status?
  2. Godlove Mine Current

Owner Name and Address

Kaylor-Fleming Manganese Company

Type
Operator

Commodities

Additional textual information about a site or mine.

  1. Commodity Type Importance
  2. Manganese Metallic Primary

Deposit

THE MANGANESE ORE OCCURS IN A BED OF CLAY 1. 2 TO 1. 5 M (4 TO 5 FEET) THICK AND IN FRACTURED SANDSTONE AT THE BASE OF THE RIDGELEY SANDSTONEON THE SOUTHEAST SIDE OF A SYNCLINE. THE CLAY IS PROBABLY RESIDUAL FROM A BED OF LIMESTONE WHICH ONCE OCCUPIED THE POSITION THAT IS NOW OCCUPIED BY THE CLAY (NEW SCOTLAND OR LICKING CREEK LIMESTONE ). THE BULK OF THE ORE MINED BEFORE 1920 IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN FOUND IN ONE OF THE INCLINES MADE FROM THE UPPER TUNNEL. ONE POCKET OF SOLID ORE ENCOUNTERED THERE IS REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN 1. 2 M (4 FEET) THICK. ONE SHAFT AND DRIFT YIELDED 4 TO 5 TONS OF ORE. VEINLETS OF MANGANESE WERE FOUND IN BROKEN SANDSTONE 18 M (58 FEET) FROM THE PORTAL OF THE LOWER TUNNEL AND YIELDED ABOUT 100 POUNDS OF MANGANESE. AT THE SOUTH END OF THE LOWER TUNNEL WORKABLE ORE WAS FOUND IN LENSES AS MUCH AS 0. 6 M (2 FEET) THICK, THE LENSES WERE SAID TO BE SOLID ORE BUT SOME ORE OCCURRED INTERMIXED WITH THE ASSOCIATED SANDSTONE. THE ORE WAS MINED BY HAND IN SHAFTS AND TUNNELS AND AS FAR.

AS IS KNOWN ALL THE MARKETED ORE WAS HANDPICKED. ORE IS STILL PLENTIFUL ON THE DUMP MATERIAL AND IN OUTCROPS IN THE SHAFT WALLS.

Location Info

  1. Continent Country State County
  2. North America The United States Virginia Shenandoah

Notes

ABOUT 2. 2 KM (1. 4 M) NORTH ON STATE ROAD 746 FROM ITS INTERSECTION WITH STATE ROAD 600 TO END OF ROAD: MINE IS 0. 4 KM (0. 25 MI) EAST-NORTHEAST FROM 746 ON THE NORTHEAST EDGE OF A LOW RIDGE, SOUTH OF SHELL RUN AND NORTH OF BONNET HILL.

Land Status

Land status information.

  1. Land Status? Admin Area?
  2. Private -

Mining Districts

Formal or informal mining district names.

  1. District
  2. Cedar Creek Valley Mining District

Development

MINE FIRST WORKED ABOUT 1847 BY JOEL WILLIAMS, WHO MINED AND MARKETED CONSIDERABLE ORE WHICH WAS HAVLED TO WINCHESTER, VA. FOR SHIPMENT. IT WAS NEXT WORKED BY CLINE AND CAPON 35 TO 40 YEARS LATER AND BY SCOTTROACH ABOUT 5 YEARS LATER, THOUGH THEY DID NOT SHIP ANY ORE. C. M. CLAY AND DR. S. M. BLACK NEXT WORKED THE MINE AT TIMES FROM 1915 UNTIL 1918 UNDER THE TRADE NAME U. S. MANGANESE & MINERAL CO ., AND THEY ARE REPORTED TO HAVE MINED AND SHIPPED 3 OR 4 CARLOADS OF ORE, ALL OF WHICH WAS CHEMICAL ORE. THE KAYLOR-FLEMING MANGANESE CO. NEXT LEASED THE PROPERTY AND IN APRIL, 1920, BEGAN DRIVING THE LOWER TUNNEL. IN AUGUST, 1920, ORE WAS FOUND IN PAYING QUANTITIES AT A DISTANCE OF 94. 5 M (310 FEET) FROM THE PORTAL. SINCE THEN 50, 000 POUNDS OF ORE FOR CHEMICAL PURPOSES HAS BEEN MARKETED.

Workings

Workings at the site.

Workings #1

  • Type: Surface and Underground
  • Sub Surface Length: 225 Meters
  • Sub Surface Depth: 17 Meters

Workings

WORKINGS CONSISTED OF SEVERAL SHAFTS AND 2 TUNNELS. ONE SHAFT WAS 17 M (55 FEET) DEEP WITH A DRIFT AT A DEPTH OF 9 M (30 FEET) AND YIELDED 4 OR 5 TONS OF ORE. ANOTHER SHAFT WAS 7. 3 M (24 FEET) DEEP, ALSO WITH SHORT DRIFTS. THE 2 TUNNELS WERE ON THE NORTH SLOPE OF GODLOVE HILL. THE UPPER TUNNEL, AT AN ELEVATION OF 446 M (1, 464 FEET ), EXTENDED IN A SOUTHWARD DIRECTION AND WAS 56 M (185 FEET) LONG AND FROM IT DRIFTS AND INCLINES AGGREGATING ABOUT 46 M (150 FEET) IN LENGTH WERE MADE. THE LOWER TUNNEL, AT AN ELEVATION OF 435 M (1, 427 FEET) WAS AT LEAST 95 M (310 FEET) LONG AND TRENDED A FEW DEGREES EAST OF SOUTH. SHORT CROSS CUTS WERE MADE ON EITHER SIDE OF IT 18 M (58 FEET) FROM THE PORTAL. AT A DISTANCE OF 95 M (310 FEET) THE TUNNEL STRUCK ONE OF THE INCLINES THAT HAD BEEN MADE FROM THE UPPER TUNNEL AND AT THIS POINT DRIFTS WERE RUN TO THE SOUTHWEST AND NORTHEAST. IN 1982, 4 CAVED SHAFTS, UP TO 6 M (20 FEET) DEEP AND 3. 6 M (12 FEET) SQUARE, 4 CAVED TUNNELS (2 ARE NOT REPORTED BUT APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN TUNNELS).

AND NUMEROUS PITS AND DUMPS WERE SEEN.

Geology

SANDSTONE IS MASSIVE AND YELLOW, WITH SOME LAYERS CONTAINING SMALL QUARTZ PEBBLES. IN MOST OF THE WORKINGS THE SANDSTONE IS SOFT AND FRIABLE.

Materials

Minerals or other materials present in the mine.

  1. Role? Material?
  2. Gangue/Waste Chert
  3. Ore Psilomelane
  4. Ore Pyrolusite

Orebody

Characteristics of the ore body.

  • Length:
  • Width: 61.00 meters (200.13 feet)
  • Top Depth: 1 meter (2.47 feet)
  • Thickness: 1.50 meters (4.92 feet)
  • Strike: northeast
  • Dip: 35 degrees northwest

Rocks

Geological materials at the site.

  1. Class? 1st Order Name? 2nd Order Name? 3rd Order Name? 4th Order Name? Most Specific Name? Begin Time End Time Description?
  2. Host Rock Ridgeley Sandstone; Clay Residuum Sedimentary Rock Clastic Sedimentary Rock Sandstone Sandstone - - -
  3. Host Rock Unconsolidated Deposit Clay, Mud - - Clay, Mud - - -

Structure

Geologic structural features affecting or characterizing the site or mine.

  1. Scale Description
  2. Local Syncline
  3. Regional Northeast-Southwest Trend

Tectonic

Tectonic setting in which the site or deposit is situated.

  1. Setting?
  2. Miogeosyncline

Physiography

Physiographic area where the resource is found.

  1. Division Province? Section
  2. Appalachian Highlands Valley And Ridge Province Middle Section

Analytical Data

Results of chemical or mineralogical analysis on materials at or near the site

  1. Line? Analysis Data?
  2. 1 6 ANALYSES ARE LISTED IN STOSE AND MISER (1922) SHOWING AN AVERAGE OF 57.8% MN, 0.32% IRON, 0.213% P, AND 2.9% SI02.

Ore Control

Controls on emplacement of ore such as faults or other structural features.

  1. Text?
  2. Clay Residuum

Production

Production information

  1. Production Year? Amount Mined? Material? Comment
  2. 1916 59 wt-pct Manganese 59+% manganese, 0.72% iron
  3. 1916-1917 58 wt-pct Manganese 58.5% manganese, 0.73% iron (average )
  4. 1916-1917 59 wt-pct Manganese 58.5% manganese, 0.73% iron (average )
  5. 1917 58 wt-pct Manganese 58% manganese,0.75% iron,6% si02: valued at $16,800
  6. 1917 59 wt-pct Manganese 58% manganese,0.75% iron,6% si02: valued at $16,800
  7. 1920 54 wt-pct Manganese 54.4% manganese, 0.57% iron, 5.2% sio2:

Notes

IN 1916, 35 LT WERE SHIPPED, VALUED AT $4, 200. 1917 DATA INCLUDES BONNET HILL PRODUCTION. IN 1920, 18 LT WERE SHIPPED, VALUED AT $540. PRODUCTION FIGURES INDICATE AMOUNT OF ORE MINED.

Nearby Deposits

Other deposits in the same region.

  1. Godlove Manganese Mine

    • Manganese commodity Site type Mine status
    • Shenandoah, Virginia
    • Underground
    • 0.07 miles
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  2. Brill Manganese Prospect

    • Iron commodity Site type Prospect status
    • Shenandoah, Virginia
    • Surface
    • 0.19 miles
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  3. Brill Manganese Prospect

    • Manganese commodity Site type Occurrence status
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    • 0.19 miles
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  4. Orndorff-Jasper Prospect

    • Manganese commodity Site type Occurrence status
    • Shenandoah, Virginia
    • 0.21 miles
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  5. Bonnet Hill Mine

    • Manganese commodity Site type Mine status
    • Shenandoah, Virginia
    • 0.25 miles
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  6. Bonnet Hill Mine

    • Manganese commodity Site type Mine status
    • Shenandoah, Virginia
    • Surface And Underground
    • 0.35 miles
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  7. Saint Lukes Hospital Prospect

    • Manganese commodity Site type Prospect status
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    • 0.40 miles
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  8. Mccune Manganese Prospect

    • Manganese commodity Site type Occurrence status
    • Shenandoah, Virginia
    • 0.40 miles
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  9. Mccune Manganese Prospect

    • Manganese commodity Site type Prospect status
    • Shenandoah, Virginia
    • Surface And Underground
    • 0.44 miles
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  10. Rhesa Orndorff Prospect

    • Manganese commodity Site type Prospect status
    • Shenandoah, Virginia
    • Underground
    • 1.61 miles
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Nearby Places

Nearby Mining Districts

Nearby Lands

Footnotes

* Mine bounds on map indicate the general area that a mine occupies. For an detailed map, refer to the overseeing BLM field office.

** The mine central point is based on an average of the mine's bounding box(es) and does not necessarily fall on the claim itself.

1 World-class significance is determined by total endowment of the contained commodity. This includes all past production and remaining reserves. Each commodity is considered separately and commodities cannot be combined to arrive at a significant size. The tonnage thresholds are from the mine model grade-tonnage studies. As of June 2008, many entries were classified as significant under less strict rules.

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