Pennsylvania was blessed with an abundance of natural resources which helped fuel the Industrial Revolution. Of the original 13 colonies, only the Keystone State had the critical building blocks — coal, iron ore, timber and petroleum — in abundance, leading the nation in the production of raw materials for 100 years, from 1820 to 1920. Chester County has held an important place in this heritage.
Extraction of mineral resources in the region pre-dates the Revolutionary War, with deposits of copper, iron, lead, graphite, titanium, beryllium, chromium, feldspar, kaolinite, marble, serpentine and quartzite being successfully mined over the decades. Ron Sloto’s book “The Mines and Minerals of Chester County” lists 1808 as the first printed reference to minerals from this area. His book provides a wonderfully detailed description of the enormous variety of riches present, replete with color pictures of mineral specimens, topographic maps and mine diagrams.
The first geological map of the area was published in 1837 by William Darlington of West Chester, but the iron industry was thriving well before that time. Production of iron ore began around 1714 at the Warwick mine in the French Creek valley. According to Sloto, the French Creek and Hopewell mines in Warwick Township were important suppliers, the former generating roughly one million tons of ore between 1846 and 1928.
Engaging displays of mineral specimens at museums may seem unattainable to the average person, but there are many places around Chester County where you can find them yourself. This author previously worked as a petroleum geologist and did quite a bit of collecting around the country. To discover what was available, I decided to investigate some nearby sites- and was pleasantly surprised.
The Avondale Quarry near the intersection of Route 41 and Old Baltimore Pike was started in the 1920’s, providing an abundance of building stone, flagstone, sand and aggregate over the years. Interesting minerals such as garnet, biotite and muscovite mica, black tourmaline, graphite, marcasite and rutile have been reported at this location. School children know mica as the glittery, sheet-like mineral which peels off in flakes, but most people are not aware of its varied applications. Mica has superior thermodynamic properties and is stable in the presence of electrostatic fields. It is commonly used in joint compounds for drywall, in a variety of coatings, in roofing shingles and concrete blocks. Rutile is processed to generate titanium dioxide, an opacifying agent in paints. Du Pont is the world’s largest producer of this product.
Most people just like to look at pretty crystals and you can find them at Avondale in large quantities. If you were born in January, you have garnet as your birthstone. This deep ruby red, semi-precious gem is found quite frequently in metamorphic rocks, including the local garnet schist. Black tourmaline crystals are also abundant, present in a feldspar/quartz/mica framework within pegmatite veins- intrusions of molten rock which cooled near the surface millions of years ago.
To the southwest, the Nottingham area holds copious amounts of both feldspar and serpentine at the State Line and Goat Hill mines, along with quarry deposits in the local park. Drive around. You’re bound to see houses with lovely olive green serpentine forming their framework. Colonists used this stone in buildings for both endurance and beauty. Feldspar is a chalky, off-white to pink mineral widely present in granite. When brushing their teeth in the morning, most people don’t think about rocks, but feldspar is ground into a very fine powder and included as an abrasive agent in toothpaste. It’s used extensively in ceramics, as well as a filler in paint, plastics and rubber. Feldspar even helps us see things better. Alumina from feldspar improves the hardness and durability of glass, adding to its resistance to chemical corrosion.
There are numerous places to collect minerals around the county; 49 of our 56 Townships hold quarries or abandoned mines containing worthwhile specimens. You don’t have to be a geologist to find them- just take a hike and keep your eyes open. Be sure to ask the permission of the landowner before you go collecting. So, when you stop at a traffic light, looking through the windshield at shiny crystals on a boulder nearby, remember that the landscape doesn’t just give us something pleasing to look at… it was critical to the growth of our industrial base.
* Gene Pisasale is an author based in Kennett Square whose books and lecture series focus on topics of historical interest. His book “Abandoned Address- The Secret of Frick’s Lock” is an historical novel about a real ghost town dating back to the 1750’s in northeastern Chester County which is linked to the greatest inventors of the Industrial Revolution. His website is www.GenePisasale.com. Gene can be reached at Gene@GenePisasale.com.
About Gene Pisasale
Gene Pisasale is an historian, author and lecturer based in Kennett Square, Pa. His eight books and historic lecture series focus on the history of the mid-Atlantic region. Gene’s latest book is Alexander Hamilton: Architect of the American Financial System, which delves into the life and many accomplishments of this important Founding Father who almost single-handedly transformed our nation from a bankrupt entity into the most successful country in the history of mankind. Gene’s books are available on www.Amazon.com. His website is www.GenePisasale.com; he can be reached at Gene@GenePisasale.com.
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