Our next meeting is Tuesday, October 11, 2016. Join us for a program by club member Fritz Moritz entitled “Giant Kyanite and Ilmenite Crystals of Litchfield and the Mystery of Israel Coe’s Copper Mine.”
According to Fritz…….in 1819, John Brace described a 1600-lb rock filled with large kyanite crystals from “Litchfield”. Then, in 1837, Charles Shepard’s 1837 gave detailed (but still kinda useless) directions to Israel Coe’s copper mine “found about two miles from Wolcottville on rather an elevated ridge of land”. These vague references were typical of 19th century writing. This program demonstrates how knowledge, personal contacts, determined research and (perhaps mainly) luck overcame these obstacles, illuminated a hillside in Litchfield as the locus of all these and other mysterious allusions, and revealed a source of fantastic minerals. Also featured are many photos of the old mines and giant crystals.
We’ll begin at 7PM with a short business meeting; followed by refreshments, a silent auction, and socializing; and then our program. We meet in the dining room of the Bristol Senior Center, 240 Stafford Ave., in Bristol.
Hope to see you there!