Hippy mine, Micaville, North Carolina

The Hippy mine, at Newdale in Yancey County, North Carolina, was the Powhatan Mining Co.'s open-pit anthophyllite mine, according to Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, and the producer tables of the U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook.^6,9 The yearbooks name it in those tables from 1972 on; earlier volumes speak only of the company's mines in the county, without naming them.^5,6

Micaville

The Minerals Yearbook for 1941 reported that W. T. Hippey of Micaville and the Powhatan Mining Co. of Woodlawn, Baltimore, Maryland, among others, "operated mines in the Micaville-Burnsville area, Yancey County," and the yearbook for 1942 that both "continued to operate their mines in the Micaville area."^1,2 For 1943 the yearbook said that Hippey "produced a considerable tonnage of anthophyllite at Micaville," and for 1944 that Powhatan "procured amphibole fiber from properties at Micaville."^3,4 For 1960 it reported amphibole asbestos produced by Powhatan "from mines in Transylvania and Yancey Counties."⁵ None of these pages names the Hippy mine.^1,5

The last years

The yearbook tables for 1972 and 1973 list Powhatan's Hippy mine in Yancey County as a source of anthophyllite, and the yearbook for 1973 said that Powhatan's North Carolina production "declined another 64% in 1973."^6,10 For 1974 and 1975 the yearbooks called the company's North Carolina mine "inactive," and Asbestos wrote in December 1975 that "no production has thus far been reported for 1975" and in December 1976 that "we are not aware of any mine production during the past two years."^11,12,13,14 The journal then put Powhatan's "700-ton-per-year mill" at Baltimore, Maryland.^13,14 The yearbook for 1976 again called the mine "inactive"; for 1977 it said the mine "was active, and a few tons of anthophyllite was mined and shipped," and Asbestos wrote that "nominal amounts of Anthophyllite are mined by Powhatan Mining Corporation at Newdale."^7,15,16

The sources disagree about the end: the yearbook said the mine "was somewhat active in 1978" but that "there was no activity in 1979," while Asbestos in December 1978 said that "production is minimal," and in December 1979 that Powhatan "runs an Anthophyllite mill at the Hippy Mine" where "production is minimal."^9,17,18 The yearbook for 1980 reported that "Powhatan Mining Co. has gone out of business," without naming the mine; in January 1981 Asbestos wrote that "a minimal amount of the amphibole known as Anthophyllite is sporadically produced from the Hippy Mine."^8,19

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.⁹

Location

Year by year

Every statement about this mine in the documents, in each document's own words, by the year it is about.

1941

• Worked: “the Powhatan Mining Co. (Woodlawn, Baltimore, Md.) operated mines in the Micaville-Burnsville area, Yancey County” (Powhatan Mining Co.), p. 3¹
• Worked: “W. T. Hippey (Micaville) ... operated mines in the Micaville-Burnsville area, Yancey County” (W. T. Hippey), p. 3¹

1942

• Worked: “the Powhatan Mining Co. continued to operate their mines in the Micaville area of Yancey County” (Powhatan Mining Co.), p. 4²
• Worked: “W. T. Hippey ... continued to operate their mines in the Micaville area of Yancey County” (W. T. Hippey), p. 4²

1943

• Worked: “W. T. Hippey also produced a considerable tonnage of anthophyllite at Micaville, Yancey County” (W. T. Hippey), p. 3³
• Fiber: “anthophyllite” (W. T. Hippey), p. 3³

1944

• Worked: “The Powhatan Mining Co. procured amphibole fiber from properties at Micaville, Yancey County” (Powhatan Mining Co.), p. 3⁴

1960

• Worked: “Amphibole asbestos was produced by the Powhatan Mining Co. from mines in ... Yancey Counties” (Powhatan Mining Co.), p. 2⁵
• Fiber: “Amphibole asbestos” (Powhatan Mining Co.), p. 2⁵

1972

• Worked: “North Carolina: Powhatan Mining Co. | Yancey | Hippy | Anthophyllite.” (Powhatan Mining Co.), p. 2⁶

1973

• Worked: “North Carolina: Powhatan Mining Co. | Yancey | Hippy | Anthophyllite.” (Powhatan Mining Co.), p. 3¹⁰
• Output: “The production in North Carolina of Powhatan Mining Co. declined another 64% in 1973” (Powhatan Mining Co.), p. 3¹⁰

1974

• Idle: “The mine in North Carolina of Powhatan Mining Co. was inactive” (Powhatan Mining Co.), p. 2¹¹
• Worked: “North Carolina: Powhatan Mining Co | Yancey | Hippy | Anthophyllite.” (Powhatan Mining Co.), p. 2¹¹

1975

• Idle: “No production has thus far been reported for 1975” (Powhatan Mining Corporation), p. 22¹³
• Worked: “North Carolina: Powhatan Mining Co. 2 | Yancey | Hippy | Anthophyllite.” (Powhatan Mining Co.), p. 3¹²
• Idle: “Powhatan Mining Co. 2 ... 2 Inactive.” (Powhatan Mining Co.), p. 3¹²
• Idle: “The mine of North Carolina's Powhatan Mining Co. was inactive” (Powhatan Mining Co.), p. 3¹²
• Idle: “We are not aware of any mine production during the past two years” (Powhatan Mining Corporation), p. 27¹⁴

1976

• Idle: “Powhatan Mining Co.'s mine in North Carolina was inactive” (Powhatan Mining Co.), p. 2¹⁵

1977

• Worked: “Nominal amounts of Anthophyllite are mined by Powhatan Mining Corporation at Newdale” (Powhatan Mining Corporation), p. 22¹⁶
• Worked: “Powhatan Mining Co.'s mine in North Carolina was active” (Powhatan Mining Co.), p. 2⁷
• Worked: “North Carolina: Powhatan Mining Co | Yancey | Hippy | Anthophyllite.” (Powhatan Mining Co), p. 2⁷
• Fiber: “anthophyllite” (Powhatan Mining Co), p. 2⁷

1978

• Worked: “The material is shipped from the company's open-pit Hippy Mine at Newdale, Yancey County. Production is minimal” (Powhatan Mining Corporation), p. 20⁹
• Worked: “Powhatan Mining Co.'s mine in North Carolina was somewhat active in 1978” (Powhatan Mining Co.), p. 3¹⁷
• Fiber: “anthophyllite” (Powhatan Mining Co), p. 4¹⁷
• Worked: “North Carolina: Powhatan Mining Co | Yancey | Hippy | Anthophyllite.” (Powhatan Mining Co), p. 4¹⁷

1979

• Worked: “runs an Anthophyllite mill at the Hippy Mine, Newdale, Yancey County. Production is minimal” (Powhatan Mining Corporation), p. 20¹⁸
• Idle: “there was no activity in 1979” (Powhatan Mining Co.), p. 3¹⁷

1980

• Worked: “A minimal amount of ... Anthophyllite is sporadically produced from the Hippy Mine at Newdale, Yancey County” (Powhatan Mining Corporation), p. 14¹⁹
• Closed: “Powhatan Mining Co. has gone out of business” (Powhatan Mining Co.), p. 3⁸
• Fiber: “the amphibole known as Anthophyllite” (Powhatan Mining Corporation), p. 14¹⁹

Other names

Documents call this mine “Powhatan Mining Co. mine in Yancey County”, “Hippy”, “Powhatan Mining Co.'s mine in North Carolina”, “Hippy Mine”, “Anthophyllite mine at Newdale”, “W. T. Hippey”, “Powhatan Mining Co.”.

See also

• Hippy Mine in the Lexicon
• Asbestos exposure sites in North Carolina
• All asbestos mines

References

1. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1941 (January 1, 1942), p. 3.
2. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1942 (January 1, 1943), p. 4.
3. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1943 (January 1, 1944), p. 3.
4. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1944 (January 1, 1945), p. 3.
5. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1960 (January 1, 1961), p. 2.
6. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1972 (January 1, 1973), p. 2.
7. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1977 (January 1, 1978), p. 2.
8. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1980 (January 1, 1981), p. 3.
9. Asbestos Magazine, 1978, December 1978 (December 1, 1978), p. 20.
10. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1973 (January 1, 1974), p. 3.
11. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1974 (January 1, 1975), p. 2.
12. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1975 (January 1, 1976), p. 3.
13. Asbestos Magazine, 1975, December 1975 (December 1, 1975), p. 22.
14. Asbestos Magazine, 1976, December 1976 (December 1, 1976), p. 27.
15. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1976 (January 1, 1977), p. 2.
16. Asbestos Magazine, 1977, December 1977 (December 1, 1977), p. 22.
17. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1978–79 (January 1, 1980), pp. 3–4.
18. Asbestos Magazine, 1979, December 1979 (December 1, 1979), p. 20.
19. Asbestos Magazine, 1981, January 1981 (January 1, 1981), p. 14.