Mining in New Jersey

In my post about visiting coal mining areas of Pennsylvania, I briefly mentioned a non-coal mine in Ogdensburg, New Jersey – the Sterling Hill zinc mine. Many minerals in this mine and the nearby Franklin Mine area fluoresce, which adds some magic to your visit. New Jersey has quite an extensive history of mining, encompassing a few different types of materials.

My most recent foray into New Jersey’s mining history was a short hike at the Mount Hope Historical Park in Rockaway Township. Along the hike are the remains of the Richard, Teabo, and Allen iron mines. Not far from the park is the Mount Hope Pond, with remains of the Elizabeth Mine along its trails. This iron mining area was the most prolific in New Jersey. Along the trail, you see huge holes – more like craters – left from the mining operations; they create a surreal landscape. (A local trail that gives you a mini-version of Mount Hope’s holes is the Rockhopper Trail in West Amwell Township. Its holes were caused by quarrying done in the area in the 18^th and 19^th centuries instead of mining, but you get the same feeling of a lot of hard work having been accomplished.)

Another iron mine-related adventure is the short hike to the “Ice Cave” on Marble Mountain in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. I visited this area to try to see the building that houses a very large water pump (and maybe be able to peek in the window) – unfortunately, it wasn’t accessible at the time but the hike more than made up for it. The cave is really the remnants of hematite mining in the area but it does look very cave-like. I visited in the winter – the ice stalactites and stalagmites in the mine were impressive but the icy snow made the trail a bit difficult.

To find out more about the history of mining in the Highlands of New Jersey, and how to see old mines, check out Edward J. Lenik’s Iron Mine Trails.

A more “traditional” looking mine is the Pahaquarry copper mine at the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. It’s a hole in rock, with a defined entrance area (barred). To find the mine, just take a short hike uphill on the Coppermine Trail from the Old Mine Road in the park. If you look into the mine, you may be treated to the sight of small bats clinging to the rock. Although mined by more than one company, it was never profitable.

At the opposite end of the state, there are areas to explore where “bog iron” was found. This ore developed in the wetlands of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. I recently re-explored Allaire State Park - location of an historic industrial town. (I’m not a huge history fan in general, but I do like knowing more about New Jersey’s - and local - history.) To find everything you’d ever want to know about Allaire, take a look at Allaire’s Lost Empire by James S. Brown.

Bog iron was basically dug up. There are no huge craters in the woods like in North Jersey – what you’ll be seeing in the Pines are mainly the remains of the towns and furnaces built to smelt the ore into usable iron. The holes that may still be around blend into the landscape. The National Park Service has a good overview of the industry on its Southern New Jersey and the Delaware Bay history pages.

Some other sources on the mining history of New Jersey include:

Early Forges & Furnaces in New Jersey by Charles S. Boyer

Roadside Geology of New Jersey by David Harper

Iron in the Pines by Arthur D. Pierce

The Old Copper Mines of New Jersey by Harry B. Weiss and Grace M. Weiss

And an interesting article about today’s dangers of New Jersey’s abandoned mines - New Jersey's abandoned mines: Hidden underground danger (northjersey.com)

For some other geologic adventures, try Gem Trails of Pennsylvania and New Jersey by Scott Stepanski and Karenne Snow

- by Andrea M., Hopewell Branch