In 2005, over 15,000 tons of sand were produced in Charlotte County, Virginia. J. R. Tharpe Trucking Company obtained the sand from two operations along the Roanoke River in the southwestern part of the county. BMC Rock, Inc. opened a granite quarry in the central part of the county in 2005, producing over 19,000 tons of granite.

In the past, copper minerals were developed by shafts and pits southwest of Keysville and near Laconia. A small quantity of ore was produced from these localities. The Grove mine is located approximately 3 miles southeast of Eureka and 3 miles northeast of Drakes Branch. The site consists of three shafts (60, 85, and 160 feet deep), 800 feet of drifts, and several pits. In 1917, the Grove mine was the largest and the only producing mine in the northern portion of the Virgilina district. From 1916-1917 the mine produced approximately 2500 tons of ore. The Wilson and Gilliam prospects are located several miles to the southwest of the Grove mine and consisted of shafts and pits. The Daniel’s mine is located 3 miles east of Drakes Branch and worked by three shafts around the early 1900’s. The Crenshaw prospect and McNeny mine are located south of the Daniel’s mine. The McNeny mine consisted of two shafts; one 60 feet deep opened in about 1895 and the other, 150 feet deep, opened about 1905. The Barnes mine, located in the southern part of Charlotte County near the Roanoke River and west of Laconia, was worked perhaps as early as 1700 by several shafts. The site was later worked in 1881 and 1898. The McLean prospect is a shallow shaft located northeast of the Barnes mine.

Mica has been mined and prospected in pegmatites that occur in the vicinity of Charlotte Court House and Cullen. Of these sites, the Henry Moore and Vassar mines were probably the most important. The Henry Moore mine consists of a pit 25 feet long by 15 feet deep and was approximately 2 miles southwest of Charlotte Court House. It was operated during 1941 and 1942 and produced some 3- by 5-inch sheets of mica. The Vassar mine is located about one mile northwest of the Moore mine and produced approximately 200 dollars worth of mica from an 18- foot shaft in 1942. Feldspar, also associated with pegmatites, has been prospected near Abilene and Cullen. Granitic rocks have been quarried near Saxe and Drakes Branch and along the Roanoke River to provide stone for local construction purposes. Soapstone was reportedly quarried near Cullen.

Clay materials have been produced near Drakes Branch for use in the manufacture of brick. Testing indicates that clay materials at other localities are potentially suitable for use in brick and tile. Kyanite-bearing quartzite occurs in the vicinity of Madisonville and some prospect work has been done. Syenite that is found near Drakes Branch and Charlotte Court House is a possible source of decorative and construction stone. Vermiculite occurs in an area that trends from the vicinity of Phenix southwestward into Halifax County. Monazite, a phosphate of the rare earths, occurs in saprolite of granitic rocks near Madisonville and Red House. Graphite has been found in the vicinity of Drakes Branch and Saxe, and amethyst has been collected at a site west of Charlotte Court House.

Charlotte County Geologic Map
Charlotte County Mineral Production, 1986-present
Charlotte County Active Mines, 1990-present

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Clay
Ries, H. and Somers, R.E., 1917, The clays of the Piedmont Province, Virginia: Virginia Geological Survey Bulletin 13, p. 27-29.

Sweet, P.C., 1973, Analyses of clay, shale, and related materials-southern counties: Virginia Division of Mineral Resources Mineral Resources Report 12, p. 70-77.

Sweet, P.C., 1988, Clay-material testing program, 1957-1986: Virginia Division of Mineral Resources Publication 76, p. 14-16.

Copper
Sweet, P.C., and others, 1989, Copper, lead, and zinc resources in Virginia: Virginia Division of Mineral Resources Publication 93, p. 21-28.

Luttrell, G.W., 1966, Base- and precious-metal and related ore deposits of Virginia: Virginia Division of Mineral Resources Mineral Resources Report 7, 167 p.

Watson, T. L., 1907, Mineral Resources of Virginia: Lynchburg, Virginia, Jamestown Exposition Commission, 618 p.
(available as Virginia Division of Mineral Resources, 2003, Digital reprint of T. L. Watson’s 1907 Mineral resources of Virginia: Virginia Division of Mineral Resources Publication 175, [CD-ROM; 2003, September 1].

Graphite
Watson, T. L., 1907, Mineral Resources of Virginia: Lynchburg, Virginia, Jamestown Exposition Commission, 618 p.
(available as Virginia Division of Mineral Resources, 2003, Digital reprint of T. L. Watson’s 1907 Mineral resources of Virginia: Virginia Division of Mineral Resources Publication 175, [CD-ROM; 2003, September 1].

Kyanite
Johnson, S.S., 1967, Virginia’s contribution of the kyanite-mullite industry: Virginia Division of Mineral Resources Virginia Minerals, v. 13, no. 1, 7 p.

Mica and feldspar

Brown, W. R., 1962, Mica and feldspar deposits of Virginia: Virginia Division of Mineral Resources Mineral Resources Report 3, p. 116-117.

Syenite
Watson, T. L., 1907, Mineral Resources of Virginia: Lynchburg, Virginia, Jamestown Exposition Commission, 618 p.
(available as Virginia Division of Mineral Resources, 2003, Digital reprint of T. L. Watson’s 1907 Mineral resources of Virginia: Virginia Division of Mineral Resources Publication 175, [CD-ROM; 2003, September 1].

Vermiculite
Gooch, E. O., 1957, Vermiculite: Virginia Division of Mineral Resources Virginia Minerals, v. 3, no. 1, 6 p.