Conservation Assessment of Mining Artifacts at the Gold Mining Camp Museum at Monroe Park

FAIN: PG-52393-15

County of Fauquier (Warrenton, VA 20186-3037)
Larry Miller (Project Director: May 2014 to March 2016)

Hiring a conservator to undertake a conservation assessment of several pieces of historic mining equipment in the collection of the Gold Mining Camp Museum in Goldvein, Virginia, part of the Fauquier County Parks and Recreation Department.  The Goldvein area is rural and underserved by humanities programs, but this young museum uses its collections in exhibits and for educational programming to tell the story of the local gold mining industry and the everyday life of local miners in early 20th century Virginia.  The assessment of the six objects would be used to plan for a permanent exhibit on gold mining processes.

In 2011, the Fauquier County Parks and Recreation Department's Gold Mining Camp Museum purchased several pieces of mining machinery from a local collector. These items are representative of machinery used in east coast mines and some are from a local gold mine. Few items used at local mines remain, so the conservation and preservation of these items are high on the museum’s list of priorities. The grant will fund a conservation assessment for these artifacts: one hoist winch with kibble bucket, three ore cars, one steam engine boiler water pump, and one steam powered engine. This assessment will include documentation of the existing condition, research about the manufacture of these elements in an attempt to determine the extent and nature of losses of original elements. The report will provide general recommendations for treatment based on these findings, and various treatment and display options will be presented ranging from minimal intervention to restoration and recreation.