68 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA 



Pineiucky Mica Mine. The old Pinetucky mine, which 

 is historically believed to have been the first mica mine 

 worked commercially in Alabama, is located in the N. 

 W. % of the S. W. % of Section 12, Township 18 S., 

 Range 10 E., and now belongs to the extensive holdings in 

 this county of Mr. Sam Wallace, one of the pioneers of 

 the Micaville district and its principal factor of present 

 and past development. 



According to Brewer*, who examined it thoroughly in 

 1890, going all through the then extensive underground 

 workings, the deposits of pegmatite entered, made up of 

 several distinct parallel leads or "veins" all having a N. 

 E.-S.W. strike and a S. E. dip, are well marked, exten- 

 sive and unusually micaized. 



Mica crystals, yielding good flat clear-sheet muscovite 

 running to 10x12 inches in size and in considerable 

 amounts to 6x7 inches, are reported by Brewer to have 

 been at that time taken out, sheeted and sold to the stove 

 trade from this mine. 



None of the old workings may now be entered, but 

 their extent is evidenced by a central shaft over 69 feet 

 deep, two tunnels, and by some 30 or 40 old cuts and 

 prospect pits, being the developments made by the Ala- 

 bama Gold Belt Mining Company during a period of oper- 

 ation extending from 1890 to 1893. 



The discovery at that time of rich veins of gold on the 

 property in these mica mine workings, caused it to be 

 abandoned as a mica mine in favor of a recovery of the 

 gold values carried, which later on resulted in extensive 

 gold mining, and in the erection of the present reduction 

 plant belonging to Mr. Sam Wallace, located on the ad- 

 joining lot. 



No attempt has since been made to resume mica min- 

 ing on the property which the indicated facts would seem 

 to amply justify, as the old workings, in part at least, 

 might possibly be reopened without much difficulty. 



The rotted and weathered mica observable on some of 

 the old dumps, is of a size and quality to bear out appar- 

 ently Brewer's statement relative to the grade of mica 



*Report of Wm. M. Brewer, Asst. Geologist, Bulletin No. 5, Ala. Geological 

 Survey, 1897. 



