Now the newspapers reported on the potential wealth men could find in North Carolina. Immigrants from England, Germany, Scotland, Ireland, and South America brought with them their mining experience and soon, North Carolina was mining a million dollars of gold a year! 36 years after Conrad Reed found an unusual doorstop President Andrew Jackson signed legislation in 1835 that opened three new branches of the Untied States Mint, including one in Charlotte, North Carolina that minted raw gold into shiny gold coins
When gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill in California in 1848, North Carolina’s gold rush was essentially over. Mining technologies developed in the Old North State were transferred to the massive gold-mining operations in California. Several of the Carolina Gold Belt mines continued to operate, but labor shortages hindered the mining. The American Civil War forced men to fight, immigrants were not able to entered into southern port cities due to Union blockades, and slavery ended when the Union Army arrived.
Despite the challenges, the mines operated with limited labor. As with many family and financial ventures, squabbles with partners halted the already slow-going mining operations while awaiting court rulings. The Reed Gold Mine, and others, continued on and off again operations until the 20th century. John Reed died a very wealthy man in 1845 and reportedly had owned 13 slaves. The last large gold nugget using placer mining was found in 1896. By 1912, the gold mine had closed for good.
Today, the site of Conrad Reed’s discovery is a North Carolina State Historic Site as well as a national historic site that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Carolina Gold Rush sparked a new wave of settlement into the once sparsely populated backcountry and funded massive infrastructure projects and westward expansion. The US Mint in Charlotte closed in 1931 and was to be demolished for an urban renewal project. Concerned citizens purchased the building in 1933 and had it moved to a new location a few blocks south. Today it is the Mint Museum of Art and Charlotte is the second largest financial center in the country after New York City.