By Tom Darby, Comstock Chronicle Melville Kelsey bought the original parcel for $1,500 in 1861, building the Kelsey Mill with 15 stamps and a 40-horsepower boiler. Hard rock miners Felix Lacrouts and Napoleon Landry, with Virginia City liquor dealer Jean Dazet’s financial backing, built the Dazet Mill in 1890 with ten stamps. Now known as the Donovan Mill in Silver City, it’s a significant landmark in Comstock history as well as for the mining industry. It represents the location where the...

Daughters of the American Revolution Lisa Jayne, a member of Sierra Nevada Chapter in Reno, Nev., and her husband, Greg, are volunteers for the Comstock Foundation for History and Culture, an organization that specializes in preserving the mining history of the Virginia City National Historic Landmark in Nevada. Last winter, the couple attended a lecture on gold mills in the Virginia City mining district sponsored by the Comstock Foundation and were inspired to do their part in helping...

On Saturday, September 25th the Donovan Mill was one of 50 National sites that participated in National Ghost Hunting Day. The Ghost hunt was organized by Foundation partners the Northern Nevada Ghost Hunters. They were joined by teams from The Haunted Side and The New Reality. Here’s a photo of the three groups at the Donovan Mill before the Ghost hunting participants arrived. Broken into groups then teams split up and swapped place in the seven different buildings that make up the Donovan...

by Denise Crites, Dayton Valley Dispatch Steven Saylor, Executive Director of The Comstock Foundation, has been elected as the position of Second Vice- President of the Nevada Museum Association. The NMA provides support to the state’s 100+ museums by offering learning opportunities through a quarterly newsletter, annual conference and other informational workshops held throughout the year. As the Second Vice-President for the NMA, Saylor’s responsibilities will include maintaining membership...

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