Exploring Northampton Series
A Visit to Northampton’s Original Lead Mine and Vicinity
A Walking Tour with Wayne Perrea
A Visit to Northampton’s Original Lead Mine and Vicinity
A Walking Tour with Wayne Perrea
Photograph of the lead mine in Northampton showing a seam with lead ore.
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In 1678, a seam with lead ore was discovered not far from where today’s boundaries of Northampton, Easthampton, Westhampton, and Southampton meet. Nearly a century after the initial discovery, in 1765, a group of investors purchased the site, and brought three enslaved men—Cato, Cesar, and Tom—from Connecticut to do the back-breaking labor in the mine.
Wayne Perrea will lead a walking tour to the mine site where Cato, Cesar, and Tom worked and lived. Perrea, a local historian who grew up in Loudville, has spent decades assembling a history of this original mine and the subsequent mining activities in the vicinity. On the walk, Perrea will describe the geology, methods of extracting lead and silver, and the challenges the miners faced. Pre-registration is required. Each is limited to 20. Sliding Scale Admission: $15-35. |
Header image: Detail of the Illustration of the seam with lead ore in Northampton by artist Nancy Haver created for a background mural in the exhibit Slavery and Freedom in Northampton, 1654 to 1783.