Ruggles Mine
Inside Ruggles Mine
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| Location | |
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 Ruggles Mine
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| Location | Grafton |
| State | New Hampshire |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 43°35′22″N 71°59′32″W / 43.58944°N 71.99222°WCoordinates: 43°35′22″N 71°59′32″W / 43.58944°N 71.99222°W |
| Production | |
| Products | Mica, Feldspar, Beryl |
| History | |
| Opened | 1803 |
| Closed | 1960s |
| Owner | |
| Website | www |
Ruggles Mine is an open-pit mine that is no longer in operation and had been turned into a tourist attraction. It is now closed and for sale. The mine is located 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Concord, New Hampshire, in the town of Grafton, a short distance from Route 4 at the village green. The spacious pit includes tunnels and underground chambers, some of which are filled with water, for exploring. Visitors are allowed to keep any of the various minerals that are to be found on the mine floor or that can be hammered loose from the walls of the pit.
The mineral deposits found in New Hampshire, known as the Littleton Formation, date from the Devonian period and have been estimated by geologists to be roughly 350 million to 400 million years old. Over 150 minerals have been discovered at the mine, mica being the most prevalent, but also including feldspar, beryl, amethyst, rose/smoky quartz, and garnet. Specimens of the rare uranium minerals, such as uranophane, torbernite, and autunite, have been found.
Sam Ruggles (3 August 1770 - 27 May 1843) started the first commercial mica mine in the United States at the site that bears his name. Mica at the time was used to make, among other things, lamp chimneys and stove windows. Ruggles began as a grocer and was merchant of West India goods in Boston, Massachusetts. He was never a resident of New Hampshire (he was born, lived and died in Boston), and hired local workers in Grafton to operate the mine. Local lore states that the mine was started in 1803, but there is no documented evidence that supports the claim. Ruggles' first purchase of property on Isinglass Hill in Grafton was on 5 July 1805. He made subsequent purchases of adjoining properties in 1806 and 1810. His first advertisement for mica ("sheet isinglass") appeared in the Boston Semi-Weekly Advertiser on 9 November 1825. By 1831 his occupation was listed in the Boston Directory as a merchant of sheet isinglass. He had a storefront and warehouse in Boston where he sold mica.
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