Creepy Abandoned Mine in New Hampshire to Become Newest Tourist Attraction

As someone who has explored a lot of the Granite State, I have never explored the depths of Ruggles Mine.

This makes sense because the mine has been abandoned for almost 10 years, but you and I will soon have our chance to go!

"Beginning in 1803, Boston businessman Sam Ruggles started digging in the hills of Grafton, New Hampshire for the flaky mineral called mica," according to an Only in Your State article.

For about a century and a half, Ruggles Mine grew into a successful commercial mining operation. The mineral mica was used in everything from cosmetics to toasters.

Now under new ownership, Ruggles Mine will soon be a tourist attraction in New Hampshire.

The site is an open pit mine at the top of Isinglass Mountain, which will include tunnels and subterranean chambers for exploration.

According to an NHPR article:

We had other offers from people who were not going to reopen the mine … but we knew that was a major concern of the public,” said Chris DiPetta, former manager of ExciglowLLC, the company that was formed to buy the mine back in 2019. “I really could have taken a better offer, honestly, but the plans would have wasted all of the efforts to reopen to the public.

As someone who loves New Hampshire, our history, and exploring our vast forests, I am thrilled the mine will be open to the public.

From the outset, the dream of reopening Ruggles Mine to the public has been an uphill battle. The challenges were numerous, not the least of which was the pandemic striking just after acquiring it,” DiPetta said. “Joe and Eric share my passion for Ruggles, and bring substantial expertise. I’m confident they will be successful in restoring this unique cultural asset to the people of New Hampshire.