Feds: Dobbins Mine Eligible for National Register of Historic Places

Coalition for the Right Road reps say Dobbins Mine's eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places likely will require the to select another route for the proposed U.S. 411 Connector.

The mine on land owned by a Rollins-family company is in the path of Route DV-E, GDOT’s selection for the proposed U.S. 411 Connector. The four-lane highway through Cartersville would connect U.S. 411 at U.S. 41 toward Rome with Interstate 75 near Highway 20.

Although not likely to provide researchers with new information, Dobbins Mine is the oldest and once was the most productive manganese mine in Georgia, according to the notification of eligibility provided to Cartersville Patch by the public relations firm representing CORR and attached to this article. The mine was used heavily during World War I and World War II.

While the U.S. Department of the Interior determined Guyton Ore Bank is ineligible for the National Register of Historic Places, it says Dobbins Mine could be included due to its archaeological features.

"The historic resources associated with historic mining along Dobbins Mountain constitute a mining landscape historic district eligible for listing in the National Register...for its association with late 19th and early 20th century mining operations and for the role this area played in producing large quantities of manganese ore for the manufacture of steel," according to the letter signed by the Keeper of the National Register.

It says an application for inclusion in the register is required, and the determination that Dobbins Mine is eligible for it "assures that the values that make [the mine] significant are considered in the planning of projects in which the federal government is involved."

Since the feds have granted funding for GDOT to build a 411 Connector, the final decision on Route DV-E would come from the Federal Highway Administration, the letter says.

The Rollins family, which now leads CORR, have opposed Route D for years and filed a 1993 lawsuit that sent GDOT back to work evaluating other routes. GDOT later proposed Route D-VE, which also would run through Dobbins Mountain.

Previous developments in the most recent battle over the route include:

Don’t miss any of the local news you care about. Subscribe to Cartersville Patch's newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.