Gold was discovered in South Carolina in the Greenville district in 1802. The states first recorded shipment was from a Lancaster County placer mine in 1829. The gold bearing regions of South Carolina are similar in origin to those of the Slate Belt in North Carolina. There are very many streams, creeks, benches, and terraces throughout the belt that produce placer gold. There are many regional mines in northwest South Carolina which are probable sources of the placer gold. Placer gold was first discovered in 1827 at the Haile Mine, which was the largest gold producer in the southeastern states. South Carolina has produced approximately 320,000 ounces of gold.
For more information, write:
Director, The Division of Geology,
South Carolina State Development Board,
P.O. Box 927
Columbia, South Carolina 29202