Mining Towns in Rockaway

Mt. Hope

Adjacent to White Meadow Lake is the Mt. Hope area. Settlers started mining iron ore at Mt. Hope around 1710. Except for short periods of time when they were closed, the Mt. Hope mines were worked continuously for over 250 years. The mines finally ceased operations in the 1970s. At that time, operations at Mt. Hope shifted to the quarrying of stone for road construction purposes. In 1977 the 525-acre rock quarry was sold to Mt. Hope Rock Products. It is now the state's largest rock quarry. It ships over 5 milion tons of rock a year and ranks among the top 10 rock quarries nationwide.

Mt. Hope Store

This is the place where the miners would purchase everything that they needed. The mining company owned the store and would make deductions from the miners' salaries for their purchases. At the end of the month, the miner usually owed his entire salary to the general store.

Mt. Hope Historical Park

This Morris County park is the site of the historic Richard, Allen and Teabo Mines. These three mines were among the most productive mines of high-grade magnetite iron ore in the state. Iron was mined here from the early 1800s until 1958.

Teabo United Methodist Church

The Teabo Church which was erected in 1870 has been beautifully modernized. The church complex has three buildings: a parsonage, a sanctuary and a hall. The Teabo area here was the site of the Teabo Mine, which operated from 1884 to 1907.

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Richard Mine

Richard Mine was named for John Jacob Faesch's son, Richard. This mine was in operation from 1800 to 1947. The mine community consisted of the mine buildings and about 50 homes. Only some of the foundations remain. The last of the mine buildings have been destroyed by fire.

Superintendent's House

The superintendent of Richard Mine lived in this large house located on Richard Mine Road. On either side of the house can be found the foundations of miners' homes.

Knucky's Store

This building, located on Richard Mine Road, was a place where the miners' families could purchase general merchandise.

Tony Smith's Butcher Shop

Mr. Smith used to travel around the area in his wagon, selling meat and groceries to the miners' families.

Miners' Homes

Some of the original miners' homes can be seen on Everment Road. Miners rented their homes from the mining company. The rent in the early 1900s was approximately $6 a month. The typical mine house had three bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen. There was no running water and no electricity until 1927. The only source of heat in the miners' homes was the wood-burning stove in the kitchen. The well located in front of one of these homes used to supply the water for all of ther miners' families who lived along the road.

Mt. Hope Methodist Church

Across the road from the Faesch House stands the Mt. Hope Methodist Church. The church was built in 1868 by the mining company for their employees and their families. It has also served as a hospital, and, when needed, as a schoolhouse.

Pews in this church were used by the well-to-do parishoners, while the balcony was thought to be sufficient for the miners and their families. The congregation dwindled and eventually the church was closed. Vandals have been responsible for a great deal of damage to this church.

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Hibernia

Hibernia is located about three miles north of Rockaway Borough. Lower Hibernia was once an active mining village. Iron ore was first obtained from the Hibernia mines as early as 1722. In 1765 the Adventure Furnace, later known as the Hibernia Furnace, was built at Hibernia. This furnace supplied ammunitions for the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. For the next 125 years, the Hibernia mines continued to yield a high grade of iron ore.

Over its nearly 200-year history, the mine became an intricate maze of horizontal and vertical sharts. A total of 12 vertical shafts were sunk, two of which reached depths of 1600 and 2800 feet. As people moved into the area to work in the mines, homes, stores, churches and schools were built. The Hibernia mine was the fourth largest producer of ore in the state when it was abandoned in 1913.

Hibernia General Store and Post Office

The Hibernia Store was owned by the mining company. It supplied the miners with anything they needed in their daily lives. Old records show that food, tools, household supplies, and even Panama hats could be obtained here. Cumbersome items such as bags of feed or grain were loaded and delivered by using the store wagon.

Running accounts were kept for each miner, and at the end of the month the miner's bill at the general store would be subtracted from his salary. The miner very often owed the majority -- if not all -- of his salary to the general store.

The butcher store was located on the left, the store was in the center, and the post office was located on the right. The butcher shop had a supply of fresh meats which were preserved by using blocks of ice in the meat locker.

The general store was a center for congregating and socializing. Trains picked up passengers and mail on a regular schoedule right in front of the store.

In 1976 a fire destroyed a large portion of the building and it was eventually demolished.

House Behind the General Store

In 1898, a picture taken of the house showed it as a two-family house. The people who operated the mining store probably lived here. Miss Faulkner, who was a teacher at the Lower Hibernia School in 1900, boarded here.

Foundations

In the woods across from where the general store was located are many foundations that are overgrown with weeds and trees. These foundations stand as a reminder of what was once a thriving mining community.

Mine Tunnel Remains

In 1873, a 2500-foot-long tunnel was driven into the side of the mountain. By 1879, the Hibernia Underground Railroad serviced this mine. Today, this area is the site of the state's largest hiberaculum. Surveys have shown that the Hibernia mine is used in winter by more than 25,000 bats of several species.

Hibernia Methodist Episcopal Church

This church was built in 1869 at a cost of $8100. Its original purpose was to serve mining families in the area. The land was donated by Mr. C. Beach, and the funds for the building were contributed chiefly by the mining companies.

In 1871, a parsonage was erected at a cost of $2200. The house was furnished at a cost of $325, and the parsonage library was added.

The church was sold to the Lutheran congregation from Lake Telemark in 1952. In 1969, the Lions Club purchased the church and property and donated it to Rockaway Township for use as a public library.

Lyonsville

This section of the township was first known as Cranetown, since the Crane family first settled in the area. In 1840 the Lyons family moved into this locality and soon the Lyons out-numbered the Cranes. The name was then changed to Lyonsville. The original settlers were farmers, but later, when mining became popular, the miners, their families and other business people began moving into this area.

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