The man who sold a $3,000 gold nugget for $3.50 in 1802 dies. John Reed had lived to become one the richest men in North Carolina. It all began in 1799 when his son, Conrad, found an unusual rock on the family's property 25 miles northeast of Charlotte. The rock contained nearly eight ounces of gold, and it was only the first of many. The Reed gold mine will change hands again and again in years to come. Eventually, it will be designated a North Carolina historic site.