Sterling Hill Mining Museum
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| Sterling Hill Mine | |
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| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
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| Location: | 30 Plant Street, Ogdensburg, New Jersey |
| Coordinates: | 41°4′59″N 74°36′24″W / 41.08306°N 74.60667°WCoordinates: 41°4′59″N 74°36′24″W / 41.08306°N 74.60667°W |
| Architectural style(s): | Industrial |
| Governing body: | Sterling Hill Mining Museum |
| Added to NRHP: | September 03, 1991 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 91001365[1] |
The Sterling Hill Mine, now known as the Sterling Hill Mining Museum, is a former iron and zinc mine in Ogdensburg, New Jersey. It was the last working underground mine in New Jersey when it closed in 1986. It became a museum on 1989. Along with the nearby Franklin Mine, it is known for its variety of minerals, especially the fluorescent varieties. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.[1]
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[edit] History
It was originally mined in 1730 when it was mistakenly thought to be a copper deposit.[2] George III of the United Kingdom granted the property to William Alexander, titled Lord Stirling. Stirling sold it to Robert Ogden in 1765. It went through several owners until the various mines were combined into the New Jersey Zinc Company in 1897 They closed in 1986 due to a tax dispute with the town. The town foreclosed for back taxes in 1988 and auctioned it to Richard and Robert Hauck for $750,000. It opened as a museum in August 1990.[3]
[edit] Geology
Together with the Franklin mine, there are 345 types of minerals in this area, approximately 10% of the known varieties. Thirty five of these minerals have not been found anywhere else.[4] Ninety of the minerals fluoresce.[5] The rocks in the mine are approximately 1.1 billion years old.[6]
There are 66-mile (106 km) of tunnels in the mine, going down to 1,850 feet (560 m) below the surface on the main shaft and 2,550 feet (780 m) on the lower shaft. The mine remains at 56 °F (13 °C) constantly.
[edit] Museum
The tour spends about 30 minutes inside the Exhibit hall which contains a wide variety of mining memorabilia, mineralogical samples, fossils, and meteorites. It then leads into the mine for a 1,300 feet (400 m) walk on level ground through the underground mine.[2] [7] The walk goes through a new 240 feet (73 m) section called the Rainbow tunnel which they blasted in 1990 using 49 blasts and at a cost of $2 a foot.[3] In the Rainbow room, black lights are turned on to demonstrate the entire tunnel and various sample glowing with phosphorescence.
The mine is also home to the Ellis Astronomical Observatory, the Thomas S. Warren Museum of Fluorescence, and a collection of mining equipment.
The museum periodically arranges public mineral collecting sessions as well as more private and behind the scene events for local geology clubs.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://www.nr.nps.gov/.
- ^ a b "The Enduring Significance of Sterling Hill". Sterling Hill Mining Museum. http://sterlinghillminingmuseum.org/aboutus/historicsite.php. Retrieved on 2009-04-18.
- ^ a b Squires, Patricia (December 9, 1990). "OGDENSBURG JOURNAL; Old Mine Transformed Into Museum". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/09/nyregion/ogdensburg-journal-old-mine-transformed-into-museum.html?scp=1&sq=sterling%20hill%20mining%20museum&st=cse&pagewanted=1. Retrieved on 2009-04-18.
- ^ Pollak, Michael (May 11, 1997). "New Jersey Underground: Fossils, Gems and Glowing Rocks". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/11/nyregion/new-jersey-underground-fossils-gems-and-glowing-rocks.html?sec=&spon=&&scp=2&sq=sterling%20hill%20mining%20museum&st=cse. Retrieved on 2009-04-18.
- ^ Bostwick, Richard C (2008). "Fluorescent Minerals of Franklin and Sterling Hill, N.J.". Sterling Hill Mining Museum. http://sterlinghillminingmuseum.org/aboutus/fluorescentminerals.php. Retrieved on 2009-04-18.
- ^ "Zinc Mine Showcases a Disappearing World". New York Times. October 8, 1992. http://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/08/nyregion/zinc-mine-showcases-a-disappearing-world.html?scp=5&sq=sterling%20hill%20mining%20museum&st=cse. Retrieved on 2009-04-18.
- ^ Genovese, Peter (2007). New Jersey Curiosities. Globe Pequot. pp. 288. ISBN 9780762741120. http://books.google.com/books?id=tudmT08W9xMC&pg=PA105&dq=%22Sterling+Hill+Mine%22&lr=&ei=6CPqSdGKIqDCzQS2l4HiCA#PPA105,M1. Retrieved on 2009-04-18.
[edit] External links
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