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This Piece is an absolute powerhouse specimen from the historic Palmer Mine in Washington County, Missouri. Weighing in at a substantial 11 lbs, this \"Extra Large Cabinet\" piece is a rare find from one of Missouri\'s most legendary early mining districts.
This specimen features a core of dense, metallic Galena displaying beautiful cubic cleavage. It is heavily coated in a vibrant yellow/orange crust of Anglesite (lead sulfate), a classic secondary mineral for this locality. Accompanying the Anglesite is white, \"peppered\" Cerussite that reacts under UV light with a orange cream/yellow fluorescence and light phosphorescence under 365nm
History: > The Palmer Mine area (originally called Harmony) dates back to the early 1800s. Specimens of this size from the Palmer District are increasingly difficult to acquire, as most modern Missouri lead comes from the newer Viburnum Trend. This is a true \"old-timer\" piece representing the 19th-century mining heritage of the Ozarks.
Dimensions: 7.5\" x 5.5\" x 3\"
Weight: 11 lbs / 5 kg
Locality: Palmer Mine, Washington County, Missouri, USA
Fluorescence: Yellow/Cream (Shortwave/Longwave)
Phosphorescence: Spotty / Brief
Origin: Palmer Mine Washington County MO.
The \"Harmony\" Heritage: Before it was called Palmer, the area was known as Harmony (1830s). The mine was a key part of the \"Fourche à Courtois\" mining area, which was active as early as 1814.
The Palmer Lead Company: The mine was eventually owned by the Palmer Lead Company, incorporated in 1875 by Courtland Palmer. It was a \"plantation style\" mining town where the company owned the land, the store, and the furnace.
Scotch Hearth Smelting: The Palmer district is famous among mining historians for using the Scotch Hearth furnace. In fact, some of the oldest remains of these 1830s furnaces are still in the underbrush near Palmer today.
Old-School Extraction: Unlike the modern \"Room and Pillar\" mines of the Viburnum Trend, the Palmer mines were often shallow shaft and pit diggings in the \"residuum\" (the clay left behind when limestone melts away). Finding an 11 lb solid piece suggests it was dug from a larger pit deeper into the bedrock rather than a floater in the dir=\"ltr\" style=\"margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;\">Galena, Missouri, minerals, metals, lead, old leadbelt, precious metals, silver, museum quality, huge, enormous, massive, giant collectors grade, old leadbelt, rare specimen, heavy, big, multi-mineral
