"[1]: 107 Ignatius Alphonso Few, appointed commissioner, bought ten acres south of Dahlonega for $1,050 (equal to $31,012 today) in August 1835, and hired the architect Benjamin Towns, the lowest bidder at $33,450 (equal to $987,962 today), to construct the mint within eighteen months.
When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, the Dahlonega Mint was seized by the Confederates.
The exact number of 1861-D gold dollars produced is unknown, while approximately 1,597 1861-D half eagles were struck.
After the end of the Civil War, The United States Government decided against reopening the mint.
Gold leaf from this area also covers the exterior of the domed roof over the rotunda of the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta.