Rockhounding in Massachusetts took us to Chester, Massachusetts, the home of many former emery mines. Now we were not searching those old abandoned mines this day, but we had the privilege of exploring private property that was full of outrcrops, even better. The area was in the same general region as the old emery mines that populated Chester back in the early 20th century and the 19th century. That emery mining operation was long gone, but traces and ruins remained. The property where we stayed sat behind a 200 year old farmhouse, and the land had never been explored. American Geode were in heaven. This rockhound adventure was planned well in advance, so we had all the tools, mosquito coils, walking stick, bug spray, and nourishment required to make a long day out rockhounding.
As the photos show, we discovered some great veins of quartz, and a marvelous specimen of calcite or fluorite, we need to examine it more closely once it is cleaned up.
Please look at the other blog entries about rockhounding sites in Massachusetts. We found more than just outcrops.
In summary, we recommend going to Chester, Massachusetts if you keep low and depress your expectations. Emery is not the sexiest mineral to acquire or sell, and we did not find anything wildly extraordinary, but it is a famous locale, and a beautiful part of Massachusetts.
http://www.americangeode.com
As always, contact American Geode through the website for question about rockhound sites in Massachusetts, or any other rockhounding questions.