Never been here but you do have my attention. I'm always fascinated to seen how time has changed an area. I would like to visit one day to explore.

I'm really starting to think that the mine on marvin mountain and the mine under the hotel are not connected underground and never were and this drainage tunnel never connected to any mine. Its obvious that the underground drainage tunnel was there during the time of the mine so if it was draining mine water how could the city of brewster install the precast drain sections with out allowing a way for the mine water to escape. couldnt mine water building up possibly undermine the precast sections and cause problems when that water tries to find a way out, it dosent seem likely that an engineer would design a drain that blocks off a source of running water.

You have a good point as I've never actually been inside the tunnel to examine. Perhaps there would need to be a small pipe that connects the concrete lined tunnel to any other voids or like you say, the pressure would build up against the wall holding back however many gallons are behind it.

On the other hand, there are some not-so-bright engineers out there. I recall a story about one particular mine adit that was sealed with a concrete wall that flooded to the ceiling after it was installed. Well eventually as the mine continued to fill with water, the pressure behind the wall became greater and greater until it finally became a safety hazard. The wall was ready to burst and unleash a cascade of acid mine drainage! This was years ago and I'm not sure if it did burst or what was done to prevent it.

Mike, why do you think the mine under the hotel is not connected? For sure it is not connected by air space as the only possible connecting tunnel gradually becomes more and more flooded as it trends northeast.

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"If you thought old, abandoned mines were only in the west, then you haven't been to IronMiners.com!"

you guys probably answered this im just lazy and i didnt feel lik elookin but is this right next to the brewster train station?

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Dunder Mifflin, the people persons paper people.

yup thats right Newt the the mine actually runs under the train station.
Mike was there a brewster map in the 1880s new york state museum bulletin. I cannot find it if I had printed it off. do you have a link to it on pdf? i cant remember the author it was not Colony it was the other one.

ahhhhhh i thought so... i looked at it when i took the train to grand central back in march thanks mike!

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Dunder Mifflin, the people persons paper people.

Mike, originally I didn't see your photo of the drainage/ adit. If it was never used for drainage, it certainly is now - mucho H2O coming out of there now....



1854 O'Connor Map

As we can see from this map, both mines were owned by Harvey Steel. There is a public auction of the Harvey property in 1853 by Samuel(?) Brewsters to be held in the "Minerals Mountain House" I will post a description of the property if you like - nothing specific as far as monumentation, but it might be of interest to you miners?

Interestingly, there is a 'Cheever' sitting on the Board of Directors of Harvey Steel.


The mine hole shown above @ Progress Street is no longer listed on the 1876 Reed maps and so must have been closed sometime between 1867-1876. I've included a History of the 2 mines below. Unfortunately there is no mention if the 2 mines were connected, or why the Progress St/Brewster House mine closed.

PS: I stopped over to Putnam Archives and spoke to Sallie. She informed me that you miner guys had already been there....
BOY, you guys are good!!

I'm awaiting for a call that may lead me to the mother-lode (pun intended) of information on Brewster mines. I'm hoping for photos and maps. I'll keep you posted....

HISTORY OF MINES:

THE land now embraced within the limits of the village
of Brewster consists of a farm which was sold by the
commissioners of forfeiture to Peleg Bailey in 1781. A portion
of it afterward passed into the possession of Bailey
Howes, his grandson, who sold 98 acres to Gilbert Bailey, April
1st, 1833. Two other tracts containing 39 acres were sold to
Gilbert Bailey, by William P. Downs and Frederick Parks, in
1838.
On the 17th of February, 1848, Gilbert Bailey sold the whole
tract, estimated at 131 acres, to James and Walter F. Brewster,
for the sum of $8,000. As early as 1845, the Brewsters contemplated
buying this tract, on account of an iron mine which
was located there, and also for the water power of the stream
which bounds it on the west. At the time of the purchase,
the Harlem Railroad was finished and trains were running as
far as the Croton Falls.

The iron mine on this farm was first opened by Frederick
Parks, about eighty years ago [1790-1800?], and as soon as the Brewsters
took possession they reopened the mine in the rear of where
the Brewster House now stands, and took out 300 tons of ore
during the next two years. Three years later they sold all their
mineral rights to the Harvey Steel and Iron Company for $400,
and they worked this mine extensively and also one on the hill
near the depot, but ceased operations at the end of four years.
The Harlem Railroad was finished to this place in 1849, and the
depot was built in that year, and what is now the Main street
was opened, for the purpose of allowing the stages from Danbury
to come to the station.

The Brewster Iron Mine, on the hill which towers aloft to the
west of Brewster, was worked for some years, but has been
abandoned. The ore is of most excellent quality but difficult
to obtain, owing to its peculiar situation, the vein being situated
between two sloping sides of rock. The land on which
this mine is located was, in 1837, owned by one Frederick
Parks, who sold the premises to one William Downs, "reserving
all mineral ores thereon, with the privilege of going to and
from all beds of ore that may be hereafter worked on the most
convenient route to and from." Downs sold tlie land, with the
same reservation, to Gilbert Bailey, and by various conveyances
it came into the possession of Aaron B. Marvin, August
11th. 1840, and he erected a dwelling house and outbuildings
and occupied them with his family. On the 24th of October,
1S.5.-), Frederick Parks conveyed the mineral rights to William
TOWN OF SOUTIHEAST. 471
R. Paynter, who sold them to Isaiah T. "Williams iu 1S5S, and
he conveyed the same to the "Brewster Iron Company" March
24th, 1864. The company took possession and extended their
operations until their excavations extended under Marvin's
dwelling house and caused the walls to crack, while the blasting,
which was continued both night and day, disturbed the
peace and repose of himself and family during the hours usually
devoted to sleep, while the chance and prospect of having
their house and home blown up or shaken down was not calculated
to quiet their nerves or render their lives one of unalloyed
happiness. Marvin accordingly brought a suit against the
company for damages, and in the lower courts his case was sustained,
but the Court of Appeals reversed the decision and established
the principle that the reservation of minerals included
and carried with it the full right and power to sink shafts and
to carry on all the operations of mining in the usual manner,
and also affirmed that the rights of the mine owner were not
extinguished by non-usage, unless the owner of the land had
accompanied his possession by acts of ovvnership sufficient to
establish his title to the minerals by adverse possession.

from "The History of Putnam County..." by William Pelletreau pgs. 456, 470-472

Marvin v. Brewster was a landmark case:

http://books.google.com/books?id=7WKBAA ... 22&f=false

Great site! I grew up in Brewster and spent many spring and summer days from circa 1979 up until I joined the Coast Guard 1986 exploring the mines in the area.

I'll post some memories later, but I can say with certainty that the town hall never connected with the mine, because my neighbor was the mayor and I asked him about a mine tunnel entrance there. Since he had spent most of his life in Brewster, he told me that story had been around for decades. Interestingly, he said that the story may have traced its roots back to a tunnel that actually ran from the bank to the Southeast House Hotel a few door down on Main Street. According to him, this tunnel had been long since filled in.

Anyway, glad I found the site.

The drainage tunnel exiting the retaining wall behind what is now one of the municipal office buildings is the exit of Tonetta Creek which goes through a tunnel/lined trench starting behind the ball fields at Markel Park on North Main Street. This tunnel does pass close enough to mines depicted on the maps that there may be some former or current connection. A neighbor of mine; local old timer, used to be the highway superintendant. He told me that a mine tunnel passes under Oak Street (North St. on the map) and is the reason Oak St. has the apex at Prospect St. This also is near the mine opening depicted by the small circle on the map. Just seven years ago during a major sanitary sewer system overhaul a deep trench was dug the entire length of Main St. No tunnels were revealed.

I hold a great deal of skepticism that any basements in downtown Brewster have access to the mines. I have also heard first hand accounts of people walking in the mine from behind the train station and coming out in the Theall/McCullum mine which we know are not connected. I have also heard first hand accounts of people going into the building over the channel connecting the Diverting Reservoir and Croton Falls Reservoirs and entering the side of the mountain into a vast network of mine tunnels. I was in that building a few years ago myself and it is only an abandoned sluice gate which ends where the building butts up to the rock cut. No signs at all that there ever was any entrance into the hill.

Apparently I began my exploration of the mines a few years too late.

It is reported that Brewster Lake has received the essay reports on the remaining 6 holes completed on its Lake property. No significant molybdenum mineralization was intersected. Management was redirecting exploration efforts to other properties.