South of Kearsarge

Its been a very busy few weeks, and we haven’t gotten out as much to explore the copper country. The result of such scarce exploration has resulted in a scarcity in photos and adventures to tell of here. So to help fill the time I took a look back in the archives to find something new to write about. The archives are in fact rather large - over 100 locations, 8,000 photos, and 14 hours of video. While we have been a lot of places, not all of those places are yet ready for inclusion on this blog. Some sites require repeat explorations to “get it all in” or to at least to provide a decent detail. These locations are works in progress, and will require us to return. South Kearsarge is one of these places.

South Kearsarge is sister to her more famous (and productive) brother north of her (the North Kearsarge coincidentally). The South Kearsarge was opened around the same time, and closed around the same time as well. However, unlike here bigger brother the South Kearsarge never enjoyed the attention of C&H later in her life. The result is a group of ruins more scattered, incomplete, and grown over. For us this means difficulty and the need to revisit her again. Until then a little preview of what remains…

The South Kearsarge sits on the very southern tip of the “Valley of the Mines”, and the first in a long line from here to Mohawk that work the Kearsarge Amygdaloid. On an old abandoned road heading east from the highway, you first come across foundations of buildings. This was probably an office or storage building.

One of the more interesting finds is this series of free-standing walls. Their flat concrete tops - which we have seen before at North Kearsarge - would indicate that these are remains of an elevated trestle. Sitting along them was a large sunken pit in the the ground that might of once been a coal dump. The trestle here might of served as means to deliver coal to that dump.

Also sitting next door to the trestle and dump was a a structure that we knew by heart: a hoist foundation. This seemed to prove further the existence of a trestle and coal dump - except for the fact that we found no boiler house smokestack remains. I’m sure they’re there somewhere.

Sitting across from the hoist ruins sit a series of footings. The small square hole in the center of each would identify them as cable stand footings. These stands would support the hoist cables from the hoist out to the shaft. While these provided a clear trail through the woods to where the shaft should of been, we didn’t find any evidence of a shaft or building. Another reason to take a second look.

On a large concrete slab we found this interesting remain. Shelving might indicate this ruin was a dry, or maybe a machine shop, or perhaps even a warehouse. While interesting it doesn’t narrow it down too much in the end. (although my guess is a dry)

A foundation to a building that once held large pieces of machinery, this beauty sat on a corner of two old abandoned roads. Not that large, this building probably held a compressor or pump. Unlike the majority of poor rock construction around it, this foundation was mostly concrete.

Sitting next to what might be the compressor building is this. One of the more ghostly images we discover along our travels, these abandoned fire hydrants are a metaphor on the state of the Copper Country. Once a vibrant, healthy, and technologically advanced society existed on this spot - complete with modern services such as running water and fire protection. Then the mines left, and that society collapsed behind it. The hydrant still stands at its post overgrown by the forest but still watching out over the mine. The people, companies, and fireman that once relied on that hydrant have abandoned it for greener pastures elsewhere. So it goes in a one-industry region.

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