Entry No. 41 — the Atlanta file — filed under: ruins
Yorkville Mine
Discovered in 1855 with underground operations starting in 1868, this historic gold mine was once a bustling site in Georgia's gold belt. Today, the area is heavily overgrown, leaving behind hidden shafts, old tunnel mouths, and remnants of a mill. Located near Goldmine Lake, the ruins are swallowed by the dense pine forests of Paulding County.
The story
Gold was first turned up in a small stream near Goldmine Branch in 1855, placing this rural corner of Paulding County squarely along Georgia's gold belt. By 1868, miners stopped just panning the gravel and started digging into the earth itself—sinking shafts into the mica schist, cutting a 200-foot open trench, and driving at least ten underground adits into the hillside to follow the quartz veins.
At its height, the Yorkville Mine operated as a complete industrial processing site, running a five-stamp mill, a roasting furnace, and a chlorination plant to pull free gold from mined rock. Today, nature has largely erased the surface footings, swallowing up scattered mill foundations, old tunnel mouths, and vertical drop shafts under thick brush and pine woods near Goldmine Lake.
What it's like
Don't go crashing through the underbrush searching for open pits—you didn't hear it from us, but stepping into a hidden 19th-century shaft covered by briars is a terrible idea. The historic mine workings are on or adjacent to private property and remain genuinely hazardous. To visit safely, stick strictly to the public trails inside the neighboring Paulding Forest Wildlife Management Area. You will get a quiet hike through dense pine forest, catch a view of Goldmine Lake from a safe distance, and take in the stillness of Paulding County's forgotten gold rush without trespassing.
The move: Hike along the public trails of the nearby Paulding Forest Wildlife Management Area to enjoy the scenic woods and spot Goldmine Lake from a safe distance.
📍 Before you go While the nearby Paulding Forest WMA is open to the public, the historic mine ruins and shafts are located on or adjacent to private property, and open mine workings are extremely hazardous to approach.
- 📍 Yorkville Mine
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Yorkville Mine, Georgia 30157, USA
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current access before you go.
Pair it with
- New Manchester Mill Ruins, Sweetwater Creek State Park — Pair one set of overgrown 19th-century industrial ruins with another by heading 22 miles south to the brick shell of New Manchester Mill inside Sweetwater Creek State Park.
- Tellus Science Museum — Bentley Planetarium & Observatory — Trade hazardous, swallowed-by-forest mine shafts for polished Georgia mineral specimens and planetarium shows 25 miles north in Cartersville.
- Old Car City USA — Continue the theme of Georgia woodland swallowing old metal and stone 27 miles north, where thousands of classic cars rust inside a 34-acre forest yard.
Good to know
Can I explore the historic mine ruins and underground tunnels?
No. The historic shafts and mill ruins lie on or adjacent to private property, and open underground mine workings are extremely hazardous to approach.
Where can I walk legally and safely near the site?
Stick to the public trails within the neighboring Paulding Forest Wildlife Management Area (WMA), which offer scenic forest hiking near Goldmine Lake.
When was the mine active?
Gold was discovered at the location in 1855, with underground shaft operations beginning in 1868.
What features originally made up the mining complex?
State geological surveys documented a 200-foot open cut, multiple shafts, underground adits, a five-stamp mill, and a roasting and chlorination plant.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: mapcarta.com · vault.georgiaarchives.org · pubs.usgs.gov · dlg.galileo.usg.edu
last checked: 2026-07-20