You may have seen them polished up and pretty, sold as earrings or on a leather cord,but have you ever seen the raw fairy stones that are the namesake of Fairy Stone State Park?
Didyou know the legend behind these enchanting little stones,or where to find them? Well, you have come to the right place, read on to discover.
Raw fairy stones fresh from a hunt.
Keepsakes
I keep a raw fairy stone in my handbag as a keepsake. I am not really sure why I do this, I am not a superstitious person, and I don't feel there is any power in this little Staurolite pseudomorph. But ever since I was a little girl I collected rocks, feathers, knots of wood from fallen trees and other treasures in the wild.
Treasure hunting is something most kids enjoy, and as adults people buy metal detectors, dive 200-year-old wrecks in the Baltic Sea and even visit mines where they can sluice for gemstones.
Most treasure hunting is expensive
But, hunting fairy stones is free!
What are fairy stones?
Fairy Stones are Staurolite crystals (especiallyStaurolite pseudomorph)are found in only a few places around the world. Besides Virginia, which has the most abundance of them, they can also be found in Georgia, New Mexico, Brazil, and Switzerland.
Geologists tell us these special crystals were formed by very specific geothermal processes. In an article for the DailyPress.comthe park explains:
“Originally, this stuff was formed about seven miles underground. As the mountains began to rise up, it brought the fairy stones to the surface.” She’s referring to the Blue Ridge Mountains that run along Virginia’s western border.
The crystals form into little tiny “bricks” that, under pressure, twist in 60 degree or 90 degree angles, forming crosses. Technically, geologists describe it like this (in an article for Geology.com)“The mineral commonly occurs as twinned, six-sided crystals that sometimes intersect at 90 degrees to form a cross. (An intersection angle of 60 degrees is more common.)”
"Once above ground, the action of wind and rain dissolved the softer surrounding stone called schist to reveal the precious cross-shaped minerals within."
Fairy Stones come in three varieties
The Roman Cross, the St. Andrew’s cross, and the Maltese cross The rarest and coveted fairy stone is the Malteseshape. You will also find quite a few single "brick" shaped fairystones that do not intersect.
What about the parkingfee?
Here is the little twist I am only sharing with you right now. To hunt for fairy stones, you don't even need to go inside the park. You read that correctly, as the accessto hunt for these beautiful little stones is right off Highway 57, and while there is a parking fee inside Fairy Stone State Park, you can go there to hunt fairy stones at no charge.
Where to find them?
Look for the Pit Stop Gas Station.
The parking area for the happy hunting grounds to find fairy stones is adjacent to this service station on Highway 57 nearBassett Virginia, just a few miles from Fairy Stone State Park.
While they may be found all over Patrick County if you know where to look(according to a source of mine), the official hunting grounds for fairy stones is right off Highway 57. I would definitely go to the park first to get the hunting map that gives you more information about fairy stones that you will want to keep, and it will also explainhow special these little crosses really are.
How to find them
Hunt for mythical fairy stones year-round at Fairy Stone State Park.
You are not allowed any digging tools, but you are allowed to dig. So the best tool in the tool shed will be your hands, just plop down and start scratching the surface a bit. Because they are the same iron-ore color as the dirt, you may have to give it a few minutes for your eyes to adjust to see them.
Helpful Hint
Listen carefully to my helpful hint, this may be the difference between discovering many fairy stones, to not finding any at all. The best place to find them is around tree roots, as they seem to come to the surface after heavy rain.
You can keep as many as you find and typically, if you are like me you will want to find all four varieties and keep the best of those.
Visit the park
There are many reasons to go to Fairy Stone State Park, pack a picnic, hike the trails, swim at the beach, go to the playground, camp, bike, fish, paddle, special events, classes, and geocache,etc. so for all of these reasons I recommend going to the park andspending some good family time there.
Fairy Stone State Park as seen from Stuart's Knob Trail.
Legend of the Fairy Stones*
Hundreds of years before Pocahontas father, Chief Powhatan, reined over the land that is now Virginia, fairies dance and played around springs of water with naiads and wood nymphs. One day an elfin messenger arrived from a city far away and brought news of the death of Christ. When the fairies heard the story of the crucifixion, they wept and as their tears fell upon the ground, they crystallized to form beautiful crosses.
Historic superstitions held that possessing one of these rare stones would protect its owner from illness, accidents, and even ward off a witch’s curse.
And so goes the legend of how these unique mineral formations came to be.In truth, they are brown staurolite, a combination of silica, iron, and aluminum. Together these minerals crystallize in twin form creating a cross-shaped formation.
They are found only in rocks that have been subject to great heat and pressure such as was found millions of years ago in the geological history of the formation of the Allegheny Mountains.
While various formations of fairy stones may be found around the world, nowhere are they more perfectly cross-shaped or abundant than in the area in and around Virginia’s Fairy Stone State Park near the town of Bassett.
*source unknown.
Polished
Here is a polished fairy stone on a leather cord as well as raw fairy stones.
If you don't find any fairy stones orwish to purchase one on a card, leather rope or as a set of earrings, then visit the park's gift shop.
This park has a campground, cabins,yurts, a lodge that sleeps up to 16,and a conference/event center called Fayerdale Hall, call 800-933-PARK for more information on overnights at this park, or hosting a special event here.
Fairy Stone State Park is located just 15 minutes from Martinsville Virginia, 1 hour from Roanoke, or 1 hour 30 from Greensboro, NC.
Happy Fairy Stone Hunting
If you have read the article and have a question, please email nancy.heltman@dcr.virginia.gov.
