This mine is not much to look at, but it is a large mine. Living on the coast of Maine doesn’t leave too many options for mineral gatherers, either. Most of the major mines, with the exception of the Callahan Mine, are in northwestern Maine. This mine is located in the town of Edgecomb in Lincoln County, Maine. This mine has not been worked for a long time. There are two open wells that I have found, both filled with water. The first quarry is smaller than the second, but it is still quite large. Piles of talise can be found around this quarry and on both sides of the road. A dirt road runs through the quarries and then the trail turns into four-wheel trails. The second and oldest quarry is back in the woods for a bit. Stacks of talise are scattered throughout this quarry. Judging from its size and depth, I’d say they pulled a lot of material from this second pit. I believe this mine was originally in operation for its Muscovite mica. I really didn’t find too many fantastic species from this mine. I just came out with some samples of smoky quartz, muscovite mica, and some feldspar orthoclase. The minerals that can be found here are almandine garnet, beryl, biotite, muscovite, microcline, milky quartz, and smoky quartz. I did find some samples of almandine garnet, but they were small crystals. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any beryl. I found examples of all the other minerals that can be found here. Here are the instructions for locating the mine:

Driving from the junction of Route 1 and Route 27 in Edgecomb, drive south on Route 27 for 3.10 miles. Make a sharp left onto Old County Road and drive 0.75 miles to where the driveways turn left and right. From this point, continue straight for another 0.30 miles on the forest road, driving carefully over the rugged parts. This is a dirt road. Turn right at the CO Schmid Preserve parking area, at the entrance to the side road, and park on the left side of this road. (avoid private property on the right hand side) Walk south on the forest path for about 900 feet to the ridge clearing. Quarry pits and landfills are in the woods on the south side of the clearing. (Maine Mineral Localities 3rd EDT. By WB Thompson, DL Joyner, RG Woodman, VT King)

Make sure to wear a sturdy pair of boots, preferably waterproof. There are some swampy areas on the way to the mine. I would also recommend that you bring an insect repellent. Black flies and mosquitoes are dense out there. You don’t have to worry too much about sun protection, because the area is quite wooded. There was a lot of shade when I was there. A sieving screen will come in handy here, as the talise piles haven’t been worked on for a long time. If you want to find something, the best thing to do is to examine the talise stacks. I searched the stacks for a while and found only quartz, mica, and feldspar. I usually only visit this mine when I feel like going mineral hunting, but I don’t feel like traveling too far. I recommend visiting this mine just because you never know what you are going to find. Just because they weren’t lucky doesn’t mean you weren’t.