Mid-Lothian Mines Park :: In the Village of Midlothian

	Part of the Chesterfield Parks and Recreations Department. This 44-acre park is located off Woolridge Road between the Grove and Walton Park subdivisions. The property was donated to the county in 2000 by Tom Garner, a local real estate developer and mine history enthusiast. It opened as Mid- Lothian Mines Park in fall of 2004. In addition to providing public space for amblers, joggers and dog walkers, the park serves as a significant vestige of Chesterfield's rich mining industry, which lasted from 1730 to 1923. Central to the narrow half-mile park are the Grove Shaft ruins, the remnants of one of four mine shafts installed by the Wooldridge family's Mid-Lothian Coal Mining Company, a prominent mining company during the mid-1800s. Chesterfield CountyParks and Recreation plans to fortify the deteriorating ruins. The county plans to add a historically accurate 16-foot elevated observation tower next to the Grove Shaft to allow for a top-down vantage point, as well as a trestle-style footbridge across the park's small stream. There are also plans to enhance the educational aspect of the park The county's environmental engineering hopes to embark on a restoration of the stream that runs through the park. The long-term vision of Mid-Lothian Mines Park involves a museum or visitor's center that could illuminate the area's mining history.

	ADDRESS: 13231 N Woolridge Rd, Midlothian, Virginia, United States, 23113 View Larger Map

	Added 2010/01/30 | Updated 2011/03/06 Views [ 627 ] Visits [ 12 ]