Mineral Hills turns old coal ground into Putnam County public land

Mineral Hills Conservation Area gives Putnam County a landscape story with some grit in it. MDC places the area south of Unionville and notes that parts of it were strip-mined and shaft-mined for coal in the early 20th century.

That history is still part of the ground. The public land now has woods, ponds, hunting, fishing, camping, dog training, and seasonal wildflowers, but the name “Mineral Hills” is not just decorative. It points back to the county’s mining layer.

The recovery angle is what makes the note useful. More than three-quarters of the area is forested, and the land now functions as a public conservation area rather than only an old industrial footprint.

For a visitor, use MDC’s current page and map. The area has practical rules around camping, hunting, roads, water, and seasons, and those details should be checked before a trip.