Fauquier County’s Monroe Park will be featured in an
upcoming
television program on WETA about gold
panning.
The program,
which airs February 14th at
9pm,
will discuss
the history of gold
mining and
modern day
gold panning.
Monroe Park, which can be seen from Route 17 in
southern
Fauquier's Goldvein,
features not only ball
fields and playground
facilities, but the
Gold Mining
Museum and
Interpretive Center
where visitors can
learn about local gold
mining history, and
visit a replica
gold mining
camp complete
with huge 7-ton
crushing
balls.
Many are unaware of the 4,000 square mile gold belt
that
lies
in
Virginia. This gold belt passes through
southeastern
Fauquier
County and varies in width
from 15 to 25 miles.
It was this gold
belt that attracted
many prospectors and
miners in the early
1800’s,
and
along with the Carolinas
and
Georgia, became
the
major gold producing region in
the nation.
The museum is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays,
Fridays
and Saturdays from 9am to 5pm.
Visitors
can call
(540) 752-5330
to arrange group
presentations,
or to
participate in Gold
Panning
Workshops. |
