Goat Hill Barrens

Description

Goat Hill Barrens, though large, acquired that name comparatively recently. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, residents of Rising Sun seem to have referred to it by the unflattering, if accurate, appellation of "Tick Ridge". In botanical labels, "below Lees Bridge" is usually used. Mining at Goat Hill began as early as 1820, producing magnesite for the manufacture of Epsom salts. They closed in 1871, although sporadic attempts to reopen them were made as late as 1921. Pictures from that era show savanna and light woodland covering the hillsides; there is evidence of deliberate spring fires in the early twentieth century to allow the land to be used for stock grazing. In the 1970s, Rose Eshelman organized local residents to block a proposed quarry on the site, ultimately leading to the acquisition of the tract by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Mining

The main magnesite mine lies in the powerline right-of-way close to the state line, with several collapsed stopes and a caved shaft. Many small prospect pits and trenches can be found nearby. A chromite mine was worked by Isaac Tyson in the west end of the tract and there were also placer chrome operations along Pine Run, where pits suggest additional chrome extraction.

Visiting

The serpentine grasslands are maintained by the William Penn State Forest as the Goat Hill Wild Plant Sanctuary. From the parking lot on Red Pump Road, the yellow-blazed Rose Trail leads to a loop over Goat Hill proper. The access road along the powerline right-of-way can also be hiked; maintenance there suppresses woody plants and leads to large tracts of grassland.