RI 4116 Pyrites, Mineral, Louisa Co., VA

"INTRODUCTION The most productive area of the eastern Virginia pyrite belt lies to the north of the village of Mineral., in Louisa County. The largest producers of pyrite ore in the area were the Armenius, Boyd Smith, and the Sulphur mines.The Boyd Smith mine started production about 1890 and operated more or less continuously until 1922, when competition from the Gulf States and Spain closed the pyrite mines in Virginia. There are no reliable records of production or value of minerals produced.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSIn its program of exploration of mineral deposits, the Bureau of Mines has as its primary objective the most effective utilization of our mineral resources to the end that they take the greatest possible contribution to national security and economy. It is the policy of the Bureau to publish the facts developed by each exploratory project as soon as practicable after its conclusion. The Mining Branch, Lowell B. Moon, chief, conducts preliminary examinations, performs the actual exploratory work, and prepares the final report. The Metallurgical Branch, Oliver C. Palston, chief, analyzes samples and performs beneficiation tests.The project was under the immediate supervision of Mitchell H. Kline, chief, Raleigh Division, Mining Branch, Bureau of Mines.LOCATIONThe Boyd Smith property is reached from Mineral, Va., by traveling north on State Route 522 about 2-1/2 miles. An unsurfaced road, winding in a northwesterly direction, loads to the Boyd Smith headframe, which is about half a mile from State Route 522 (fig. 1). The tract comprises 181 acres."