William Colburn

William Bennet Colburn (December 2, 1882--?) was a gem miner and later archaeologist who conducted archaeological excavations in Rabun County, Georgia, at the Greenwood Mound, also known as the Dillard Mound, in 1932. He had been a Captain in the Army during World War I. From his findings, he produced one short journal published by the Cranbrook Institute in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan in 1936. Prior to the publication of his article, Colburn had already been working with the Cranbrook Institute and was elected to Trustee and Associate Mineralogist in 1933. He held that position until 1944 and played an instrumental role in establishing a mineral collection at Cranbook. In addition, William and his brother, Burnham S. Colburn, established the Southern Appalachian Mineral Society in 1927.

In 1992, two articles Colburn wrote in 1926 and 1930 were published by Matrix, a journal on the history of minerals. The articles were titled "Rambles of an Amateur Mineralogist: Part One" and "Rambles of an Amateur Mineralogist: Part Two". The articles described his travels and observations of minerals in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee as well as his experience managing a hiddenite mine in North Carolina.

References

* Matrix: A Journal of the History of Minerals. September-October 1992, Vol 2, Number 5.
* Matrix: A Journal of the History of Minerals. November-December 1992, Vol 2, Number 6.

External links

* http://shapiro.anthro.uga.edu/Lamar/activities.html
* http://www.colburnmuseum.org/history.html