Franklin Furnace, also known as the Franklin Mine , is a famous mineral location for rare zinc , ^[1] iron , manganese minerals in old mines in Franklin , Sussex County, New Jersey , United States. This locale produced more species of minerals (over 300) and more different fluorescent minerals than any other location. The mineral association (assemblage) from Franklin includes willemite , zincite and franklinite . ^[1]

During the mid-to-late 19th century the furnace was the center of a large iron making operation. Russian , Chilean , British , Irish , Hungarian and Polish immigrants came to Franklin to work in the mines, and the population of Franklin swelled from 500 (in 1897) to over 3,000 (in 1913). ^[2]

The Furnace mine which was adjacent to the actual furnace, was a 120+ foot vertical shaft just under Franklin Falls.

Other rare minerals include esperite , clinohedrite , hardystonite , and others. There are scores of minerals found only here, such as johnbaumite (an arsenous apatite ), etc.

Sterling Hill , a very similar zinc orebody, is located a few miles away in Ogdensburg .

References [ edit ]

External links [ edit ]

• Media related to Franklin Mine, Franklin at Wikimedia Commons
• Franklin Mine, New Jersey at Mindat.org
• Franklin Mineral Museum
• Zinc ores of Franklin district , photo gallery

41°06′58″N 74°35′15″W  /  41.11611°N 74.58750°W  / 41.11611; -74.58750