Tantiusques (“tan-te-us-quays”)—a Nipmuc word meaning “to a black deposit between two hills”—was the site of one of New England’s first mines. The Nipmuc tribe originally mined graphite here to make paints. In 1644, John Winthrop, Jr., son of the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, purchased the mine with hopes of extracting lead and iron. Between 1829 and 1860, Frederick Tudor, who made his fortune selling New England ice around the world, shipped around 30 tons of graphite a year to Boston to manufacture crucibles used in foundries. Captain Joseph Dixon worked with Tudor before leaving to produce the first wood and graphite pencil in the country and founding the Dixon-Ticonderoga Company.

A short loop trail leads you through quiet woods; a spur trail passes through the Leadmine Wildlife Management Area and ends at the Robert Crowd Site. Watch for the foundations of the house and barn of the African American and indigenous man who worked at the mine in the 1850s. Further evidence of the site’s past rewards the careful observer: the mine cut along the top of the ridge is the partially filled-in remainder of what was once a several thousand foot-long trench—20 to 50 feet in depth and roughly 6 feet in width, which followed the vein of graphite.

Free to all. Open sunrise to sunset.

Please note that the parking lot is not plowed in winter.

Leadmine Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566

Email: info@thetrustees.org

Get directions on Google Maps.

From Mass Turnpike (I-90), take Exit 78 to merge onto I-84 West. Take Exit 3 toward Sturbridge. Turn right at stop sign onto Mashapaug Rd. and follow south for 1.5 mi. Turn right onto Leadmine Rd. and follow for 0.9 mi. to entrance and parking (4 cars) on left.

We recommend that you take a photo of the map on your phone so you can refer to it during your visit, or download a trail map before you head out.

• Hunting is permitted at this property subject to all state and town laws. It is recommended to wear brightly colored clothing like an orange vest or hat during the hunting season. Hunting is not allowed on Sundays. Learn more about hunting on Trustees properties, and read safety tips for non-hunters.
• Please note that the parking lot is not plowed in winter.
• PHOTOGRAPHY: We ask that photographers or their clients become Contributing Level Members before conducting portrait sessions at this property.  Click here for more information, and to request permission for any portrait sessions. The Trustees of Reservations reserves the right, and may give permission to its designated photographers and videographers, or to outside media, to photograph or video visitors and program participants at all its facilities and properties.