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Origin and history

The Campgrand well, located in Cagnac-les-Mines in the Tarn, is a mining complex composed of two wells (n°1 and n°2) inaugurated in 1896 by the Société des mines d'Albi. Originally located in the extinct town of Saint-Sernin-lès-Mailhocs, the site was developed by engineers Émile Grand and Gustave Petitjean. Well No. 1, opened in 1889, had marginal production (less than 5,000 tonnes/year), while well No. 2, drilled in 1892 (202 m deep), allowed a record extraction of 175 000 tonnes in 1902 with 1,144 workers. The coal was transported by train to Albi for treatment.

The two wells closed in 1905 for the benefit of well No. 3, but well No. 2 was then used for ventilation and rescue (1979-1985). The site maintains a metal trellis chisel, a engine room with a Fournier Mouillon extraction machine, a Rateau fan and a 30 m brick chimney. Well 1 buildings (water reservoir, fan, swing bridge) also remain. The ensemble illustrates the mining techniques of the Industrial Revolution in the Carmausin basin.

After the final closure of the Carmausin mines in 1985, well No. 2 was transformed into a mine museum in 1989, integrated into the Cape Discovery conversion project. Partially listed in the Historical Monuments in 1993, the site offers a gallery reconstructed by former miners and exhibitions on coal mining. The extraction machine, still in place, was powered by a 250 hp engine. The museum is part of a memory center dedicated to regional industrial history.

The Campgrand well bears witness to the Tarn mining age (late 19th – early 20th century), marked by intense but ephemeral production. The conversion into a cultural area preserves this technical heritage, while evoking the working conditions of black Gules. The chivalry, rare example preserved in Occitanie, and the original machines make it an emblematic site of French industrial archaeology.

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