NH Mine To Reopen To Tourists After 2016 Shutdown

GRAFTON, NH — New Hampshire's much-beloved Ruggles Mine is set to reopen to the public Friday after being closed since 2016.

Located atop Isinglass Mountain in Grafton, Ruggles — the first commercial mica mine in the United States — was started by Boston businessman Sam Ruggles and first used commercially in the early 1800s. Mica was mined commercially there for over a century and a half and was used to make flexible, heat-resistant glass like the kind used in lanterns and stoves, according to Atlas Obscura.

It wasn't until the 1960s that Geraldine and Arvid Wahlstrom purchased Ruggles and turned it into a tourist attraction and rockhounding site where visitors were allowed to hunt for their own minerals, Atlas Obscura reported. Geraldine Wahlstrom sold the mine to New York-based production company Exciglow in 2019 and hopes were reignited to reopen the mine to the public, but it never happened.

In the years since, "Several price cuts failed to attract serious bids and the site has been subject to trespassing and vandalism," according to the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance.

Finally, Ruggles was sold to Joe Bodge and Eric LaRoche in July of 2023 and the pair immediately got to work on plans open to the public, according to the Ruggles Mine website. The day has finally come.

Now open every day of the week, Ruggles Mine offers old-fashioned camping for tents and self-contained RVs as well as opportunities for loose gem and mineral collecting, photography, hiking, and bicycle trail riding.

"The mine is a veritable treasure trove of minerals: not only layers of mica, but also purple-hued amethyst, feldspar, rose quartz, blood-red garnet, and even rare, colorful uranium minerals like uraninite," Atlas Obscura writes.

Mineral collecting costs $30 per person, with kids under 10 years old given the chance to collect for free. Camping costs $10 per person a night.

Pets are allowed but must be kept on leashes.

June and July hours are as follows:

Fridays: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturdays: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sundays: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information, visit Ruggles Mine's official website.