Schuyler Copper Mine facts for kids
| Location | |
|---|---|
 Schuyler Copper Mine
|
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| Location | North Arlington, Bergen County |
| State | New Jersey |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 40°46′43″N 74°7′39″W / 40.77861°N 74.12750°W |
| Production | |
| Products | Copper, minor amounts of Gold and Silver |
| History | |
| Opened | 1715 |
| Active | 1715–1773, 1793–1901 (sporadic) |
| Closed | 1901 |
The Schuyler Copper Mine was an old copper mine in North Arlington, New Jersey. It's not used anymore, but it's a really important part of history!
It started working in 1715. This makes it the very first copper mine in New Jersey. It's also one of the oldest mines in the whole United States!
Guess what? In 1755, the first steam engine ever put together in America was used right here! Later, in 1794, the first steam engine made in the U.S.A. was built close by.
The mine produced a lot of copper before and after the American Revolutionary War. Even though you can't see any mining buildings today, the old tunnels underground have caused problems as recently as 1989.
This mine was also known by other names. People sometimes called it the Arlington, Belleville, or Victoria copper mine.
Contents
A Look Back: The Mine's Story
How the Mine Started
Around 1710, a man named Arent Schuyler bought a big piece of land. This land was in a place called New Barbadoes Neck.
Just a few years later, around 1712 or 1713, something exciting happened. Workers found a lot of copper ore on his property! This discovery led to the start of the mine.
Family Takes Over
When Arent Schuyler passed away, his three sons took over his lands. Their names were Adonijah, John, and Peter.
John Schuyler was the one who managed the mine. He was in charge of all the mining operations.
The First American Steam Engine
In 1748, the mine started to flood with water. This was a big problem for John Schuyler. He needed a way to pump the water out.
So, he ordered a special Newcomen steam engine and pumping tools. These came all the way from Cornwall, England.
The equipment arrived in 1753. Jonathan Hornblower's brother, Josiah Hornblower, put it all together. The engine started working in 1755. It was used to pump water out of the mine.
This was the first steam engine ever assembled and used in America! It helped pump water from one of the oldest and deepest mine shafts. This shaft was over 100 feet deep. It was later called the Victoria shaft and eventually reached 347 feet deep.
Mine Stops Working
In 1773, the building where the engine was kept caught fire. This was the third time it had burned down! After this, mining stopped. The mine stayed closed during the American Revolutionary War.
Making Engines in America
After the war ended, the mine owners wanted to start mining again. But first, they needed to get all the water out of the mines.
Instead of buying new steam engines from England, they had a clever idea. They built a special factory in nearby Belleville. Here, starting in 1794, they began making steam engines. These were the first steam engines ever manufactured in the United States!
What the Mine Produced
The Schuyler Copper Mine mainly produced copper. But it also had some other valuable metals.
Copper Production
The earliest record of copper being shipped from the mine is from April 1721. About 110 barrels of copper ore were sent to Holland.
At that time, colonists were not allowed to refine their own ore. So, they had to send it to other countries. In the 1720s, the mine produced about 100 short tons of ore each year.
Other Metals
Besides copper, the mine also produced small amounts of gold and silver. These valuable metals were found within the copper ore.
How the Mine Formed
The mine is located in rocks like shale and sandstone. These rocks are part of something called the Passaic Formation. A type of rock called diabase also pushed its way into these layers.
The main copper minerals found here were chalcocite, which is grayish, and chrysocolla, which is a bright blue-green. Other minerals like malachite, azurite, cuprite, and native copper were also present.
