The Bechtlers'
"Homemade Money
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Some years they coined more North
Carolina gold than the national mint.
By RODNEY BARFIELD
Continuing his account of the
colorful assortment of people at¬
tracted to North Carolina by the
nation's first gold rush I" The Gold
Hunters." The State. April. 1981)
our writer now tells how the family
of Christopher Hechtler, German
immigrants, came to Rutherford
County and operated their famous
private mint — Ed.
The year is 1830. Bankers and in¬
vestors along Wall Street are studying
geological survey maps of North Car¬
olina and thumbing well-worn month-
old copies of a Salisbury (N.C.) news¬
paper. the Carolina Watchman. There
are fifty-six active gold mines in North
Carolina, which newspapers and trade
journals of the Northeast have in¬
creasingly referred to as the "Golden
State."
The bankers read accounts of large
numbers of prospectors, speculators,
assayers and other "gold hunters”
being lured to the western piedmont of
the southern state. Miners and mana¬
gers are being imported from Mexico.
South America and England. Some are
surprised to learn that North Carolina
has been shipping gold to the national
mint at Philadelphia for the past
twenty-five years, the only state in the
Union to do so.
Vein mining recently had been in¬
troduced in Montgomery County, and
the state's gold industry teetered on
(obove) C. Becbttor hoi» eoflle, in Rutherford
County, probobly 1 831 or 32; 20 corot North Coro-
lino 90k), worth $5.
(below) Bechtler'i lint newspaper od in the
"North Carolina Spectator ond Western Adver¬
tiser," Ruthcrfordton. (N.C. Div. of Archives ond
History photos)
the verge of a tremendous expansion
that would catapult it to second place
behind agriculture as North Carolina’s
most important economic pursuit. At
its height, the industry would employ
some 20.000 people, concentrated
chiefly in a diamond-shaped geo¬
graphical area of the western pied¬
mont. the outlying points being
Rutherford. Iredell. Stanly and Union
counties.
Itinerant Jewelers
There was a host of related activities
spawned by the gold industry and a
staggering assortment of peripheral
humanity joined the rush. The numer¬
ous mining camps and boom towns
forming across the rolling foothills of
the state attracted merchants, scien¬
tists. government bureaucrats, jewel¬
ers. prostitutes, preachers, saloonkeep¬
ers and mobs of unskilled workers.
Amidst the hodgepodge of humanity
flooding the gold region was a German
immigrant by the name of Bcchtlcr
(pronounced Bcck-ler). Christopher
Bechtler. Sr., advertised himself as a
watchmaker and jeweler, but he — and
the sons and nephew who accom-
THE STATE. MAY imi
WATCH MAKING AND JEWELRY.
RESPECTFULLY inform* the citizens of
Rutherford County, and it* neighborhood,
that he has established himself as a CLOCK AN D
WATCH MAKER, JEWELLER, fcc.in Ruth-
erfordton. (opposite Mr. Wm. Twittv’s tavern) and
is now readyto attend to all calls in his line of busi¬
ness. From his long experience, both iii Europe
and America, he is confident that he can give en¬
tire satisfaction to all who
Шоу
p|,.n 0 f,, patronize
him in his business. Every description of Clocks
aiul Watches, will be repaired with promptness aud
care, and on moderate terms.
ДЦ
1^ uds of Jewel¬
ry mended, or rnadelo suit the last' of the purcha¬
ser. He has now ol hand an assortment of
эвямбмгс;
which he warraulsfobe of u superior gnjlfty
R lit herfordtefl. July 28. 24 tf
