Hewitt Gem Mine

Date:

Location: 202 Turkey Hill Rd., Haddam, CT 06424

Join us for an exciting day of mineral collecting at the Hewitt Gem Mine in Haddam, CT! This privately-owned fee dig site is well-known for its rich pegmatite deposits and wide variety of collectible minerals. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced rockhound, this trip offers a fantastic opportunity to uncover beautiful specimens and enjoy a fun day outdoors.

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Collecting Site

Hewitt Gem Mine
202 Turkey Hill Rd, Haddam, CT 06424
(Look for the roadside sign marked “HEWITT”)

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Date & Time

• Date: Sunday, November 2

• Meet-Up Time: 8:40 AM SHARP

• Trip Start: Briefing begins no later than 8:45 AM

• Digging Hours: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

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What You’ll Find

The Hewitt Gem Mine is a classic Connecticut pegmatite locality producing a variety of minerals, including:

• Beryl (including aquamarine)

• Tourmaline

• Garnets

• Quartz

• Feldspar

• Mica

• And more!

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Fees

• Dig Fee: $30 per person (all-day dig)

• With Power Tools/Drills: $40 per person

• Kids 10 & under: FREE

• Lunch: Cooked meal available for $10 per person (please bring a separate $10 bill)

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Attendance

• Limited to 35 participants MAX

• Groups preferred at 2–3 people per team

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Lunch

A cooked lunch will be provided for a modest $10 per person. Please bring a separate $10 bill for this meal.

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What to Bring

• Plenty of water

• Rock hammer, chisels, sledges, pry bars, shovel, rock pick

• Buckets, newspaper, backpack

• Optional: jackhammer or rock saw (if using, bring proper gear)

• Food and drinks for the day (if not purchasing lunch)

• Bug spray, sunscreen

Dress Code: Long pants required (no shorts).

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Safety Requirements

• Hard Hat: Not required, but suggested if using equipment such as jackhammers or saws.

• Mandatory Gear: Safety glasses, sturdy footwear, gloves.

• Waiver: All attendees must sign a Hold Harmless Agreement and attendance sheet before digging.

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Why Join This Trip?

• Collect high-quality pegmatite minerals from a historic Connecticut site.

• Great for families — kids 10 & under dig for free.

• Affordable adventure with optional cooked lunch available on-site.

• Supportive new owners continue to allow club access to this unique locality.

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Don’t miss out on this Hewitt Gem Mine dig in Haddam, CT! Spots are limited to 35 people, so secure your spot early and get ready for a full day of mineral collecting and fun.

Event URL: https://www.mindat.org/loc-23091.html

Fee: 30 $ p/p, 40 $ p/p if you bring generator / power equipment / tools (10 and under free)

Safety Information: Hard Hat NOT Required. Proper safety gear is required on ALL trips. (Glasses, sturdy footwear, Gloves) Hardhat SUGGESTED if planning to use EQUIPMENT (jackhammer/saws). Attendees will be required to sign Hold Harmless Agreement / Attendance Sheet prior to the trip.

Tools: WATER, rock hammer, chisels, sledges, pry bars, shovel, buckets, newspaper, FOOD + DRINK, backpack, (if desired – Jackhammer / Saw)

Max Number of Attendees: 35

Post Event Write-Up:

Attendees:  Groundhog Dave Shapiro, Arthur "the Midnight Oil" Finkeshteyn, Dave "Lermanator" Lerman, Stephanie "Carpet Squares" Apgar, Noah "Arrowhead" Garwood, Kevin "Coop" Cooper, Regino de la Cruz, Bonnie Clark, Meg and Rich Blatman with Elena; John  Montgomery and Gayle Weigand; Madeline Jewett, Mitch, Athena and Emily Seim; Katrina, Konrad and Ben Majoros;  Mike Biehl and Laura Keeler; Alex Bondarenko, Lois Merle, Nicole Levi with Tom Moysal; Luann Reed-Siegel and Jay Siegel; Karrie and Micah Kelley; Anthony Jerussi

Once again we had a great and productive collecting trip at the popular Hewitt Gem Mine in Haddam CT!  Despite some early reports of lousy weather, it held out for us up till 3:00 pm which was infinitely better than earlier weekly forecasts.  Recent rains did help clean some of the rocks off, and the sun was strong and did help early with providing reflective glint for surface scanning and collecting.  

Tony gave us the latest on the site and told us of some recent dangers in the bottom of the pit area, which he took a few members to see up close later in the day.  He revealed some plans to reveal more of the area in near future once water is pumped out and more sidewall is leveled. 

The tailings piles and main upper parts of the pit provided ample scavenging and digging opportunities for everyone, and no one was going to be empty handed, this was evident early on!

Lunch was as always, outstanding, as Burgers, Dogs and chips along with drinks, were provided for Lunch-goers.  Tony selected excellent quality burgers and dogs for our enjoyment. Axel visited us early to join in on lunch and watch the collecting.  

 

NOTABLE FINDS:

1. Nicole Levi - 3 or so inch aqua Beryl
2. John Montgomery - 3 or 4 inch dull colored Beryl in feldspar
3. Mitch Seim - 2 or so inch aqua Beryl in feldspar
4. Bonnie Clark - large aqua Beryl chunk, floater
5. Lois Merle - several nice small Goshenite Beryls
6. Konrad Majoros - VERY nice Microlite crystal in feldspar
7. Kevin Cooper - several nice small chinks of Aqua and Morganite Beryls
8. Dave Lermanator - some very nice blueish Albite feldspar crystals
9. Micah Kelly (and few others) - some small green Torbernite sprays on rocks
10. Stephanie Apgar - Cholorphane fluorite pieces / fragments

**  There were others, just don't recall who (sizable lone Spessartine garnet(s), sizable black schorl Tourmaline pieces, some nice Almandine Garnet pieces

We thoroughly enjoyed the trip as always and cannot wait to return!