The Birch Hill Silver Mine

It is hard to believe, but for several years Vermont ranked only behind California and North Carolina in the mining of gold and silver in the United States. There are several unconfirmed stories that Spaniards mined precious ores in Vermont as well as in other New England states.

The legendary Birch Hill Mine is so names because of its supposed location on Birch Hill near Pittsford. It is said to have been worked by a Spaniard who melted its ore into bars and, fearing Indians, buried the bars at his mine and fled to Spain. A company was formed in Spain and some years later its members returned to Vermont and made a fruitless search for the silver mine and hidden bars.

A lost Spanish gold mine and a cache of gold bars nearby is also located in the vicinity of Otter Creek, in Addison County.