posted 01-04-2018 11:27 AM            

I am relatively new to the FORUM and I am inquiring about a unique Stamp/Hallmark that I collect.

It is N.P. Silv. Mine they are pieces produced from A.F. Towle & Son before they were incorporated into the A.F. Towle and Sons Company and moved to Greenfield, MA. I am only aware of a few pieces and currently own a few, any information about the amount produced, the patterns associated with this stamp, and if you have or are aware of any pieces would be of great help.

I am not a silverware collector per se, I do collect some memorabilia associated with silver mines....Thank You.

castom7310

posted 01-05-2018 03:29 PM            

quote:

---

After the silver mine parade it was all downhill

As I See It
Joe Callahan
Oct 8, 2015

Thousands line to see the Silver Parade on State and Pleasant streets in Newburyport on June 2, 1875

What a day it was in Newburyport on June 2, 1875. Great excitement and hope filled the air. The final three wagonloads of the first batch of silver ore extracted from the recently established W.W. Chipman mine on Scotland Road in Newbury were to be brought into the city and loaded on the schooner Nadab for shipment to New York to be smelted and refined.

The first batch of ore totaled 160 tons of ore. It had only been about a year since Albert Adams, a farmer, had discovered a vein containing silver. Mr. Chipman had purchased the property and immediately started mining operations.

Local area citizens looked at this happening as the beginning of a new industry that would certainly bring fame and good fortune to the region. It would be an economic boost like never seen here before. The mine would draw other new businesses and new jobs would be plentiful. It was going to be a win-win situation.

A parade was planned for the afternoon arrival of the loaded wagons; it formed on Auburn Street, continued down High Street, down State Street and on to Commercial Wharf on Water Street, where the Nadab was berthed. Members of the police department led the parade followed by other dignitaries, Bailys Brass Band and the wagons containing the ore.

Hundreds of people lined the route, according to the Newburyport Herald. The parade made frequent stops along the way so people could get a close-up look at the ore. The Herald also listed over 30 homes and businesses along the route that displayed elaborate decorations made of flags and banners. Most of the spectators followed the wagons to the wharf to witness the loading of the ship. The Nadab departed the following morning for New York.

In a short time word was received that the first shipment was worth $9,200 after being processed. This was not good news. The cost of the labor and operations at the mine, the shipping to New York and other normal business expenses exceeded the worth of the first shipment. There was nothing left to benefit Mr. Chipman and others who had invested in the venture. Furthermore, following the refining process, it was learned that the quality of the silver was not considered top grade.

In spite of the unfavorable results, the work continued on; but the financial results failed to improve and in less than two years, all operations at the site ceased.

Mr. Chipman was not a man to give up easily. In 1888 he and several new investors started a new attempt to make the mine a successful operation. New, more modern equipment was brought in and different methods of drilling were used. However, the results were the same, more money lost. Obviously, the quality of the produce had not improved and the costs of doing business had risen. The second attempt was short-lived.

Following many years of inactivity at the site, another attempt was undertaken by a group of investors that included Todd Woodworth, who was the great-grandfather of local historian Ghlee Woodworth. This group was known as the Merrimac Development Corporation. Despite the diligent efforts of this group, their work like those before them ended in failure. This last effort ended around 1920.

Unfortunately, over the few years of actual operations at the site, at least five men lost their lives as a result of dynamiting accidents.

Some of the Chipman Mine silver was acquired by local silversmiths and made into tableware.

All the good that was anticipated back on the day of the parade never materialized.

---