Conrad Reed's discovery of a 17-pound gold nugget in Little Meadow Creek in 1799 marked the beginning of the gold rush in North Carolina. Initially used as a doorstop, the nugget was later identified as gold by a jeweler in Fayetteville. Despite not fully understanding its value, Conrad's father, John Reed, sold the nugget for $3.50, a mere fraction of its actual worth. Recognizing the potential of their land, John Reed organized a small-scale gold mining operation around 1803. Soon after, a slave named Peter discovered a 28-pound gold nugget, further affirming the presence of substantial gold deposits on the property. Inspired by these findings, Reed shifted his focus to placer mining, a technique that involves extracting gold from streambeds using simple tools.

As time passed, John Reed transitioned to underground mining in 1831, which involved digging shafts and tunnels to access deeper gold veins. His mining efforts proved successful, and he amassed significant wealth from the gold found on his property.