Gibsonville Garden Railroad fence signs

Reed Gold Mine in Cabarrus County is the site of the first documented gold find in the United States. It began as a seventeen pound rock found in a creek in 1799 that was used for a door stop until 1802 when a Fayetteville jeweler bought it for $3.50. From this discovery, gold mining spread gradually to nearby counties and eventually into other southern states. During its peak years gold mining was second only to farming in the number of North Carolinians it employed. Between 1840 and the early part of the 20th century the estimated value of gold recovered reached over a million dollars a year. There were at least 10 mines in Guilford County. North Carolina led the nation in gold production until 1848, when it was eclipsed by the great rush to California.

Before 1851, no official town of Gibsonville existed, only a few buildings supporting local farmers and some gold seekers. In 1851 Joseph Gibson a local farmer (1785-1857) provided grading services for the newly formed North Carolina Railroad (NCRR) Company. The first train arrived on October 9, 1855, and the depot was named Gibson Station in his honor. On February 18, 1871, the state legislature issued a charter officially establishing the Town of Gibsonville. 

Gold mining played a minor role here when deposits were discovered on Gibson Hill (or Gold Hill) half mile south of town in the 1800s. In Aug 1899 the Chifar Consolidated Gold Mine Company was digging four shafts ranging in depth from 30 to 55 feet. According to mine superintendent John Farlow and the ore was “solid all the way.” It soon closed with little gold to show for the digging. A traveling con artist (J.J. Miller) sold stock for a secret process to extract gold from the mine in Jun 1936 then disappeared until April 1947 when he was arrested in Elon for selling phony oil well stock. 

The town cemetery is located near this area, but no graves have yielded gold…..yet!