Sterling Hill Mine a lesson in county history

Ogdensburg - Tucked away behind the main drag of Route 517 on Plant Street in Ogdensburg is huge part of Sussex County history, The Sterling Hill Mining Museum. The mine itself closed in 1986, and was sold at a tax auction in 1989. It wasn’t until 1990 that the founders of the museum became a nonprofit organization and opened. Books are a wonderful way to learn. In the gift shop at the museum, you can buy the book entitled “The Odyssey of Ogdensburg and the Sterling Zinc Mine” by Paul Horuzy. It provides a wealth of information and photos of the history of the mine, but the expression “seeing is believing” only begins to describe how you feel after you have toured the mine itself and seen first hand where the miners worked. Each year about 30,000 visitors take the two-hour tour beginning in the Zobel Exhibit hall, which was formerly the very large locker room called a Change House for the miners. Clothes and boots hang in wire baskets from the ceiling now, just as they did when the mine was still operating. Along one of the walls, you see shower heads while on your other side are large cases filled with amazing minerals from around the world. “We have over $6 million worth of minerals on display here,” explained Bob Hauck, one of the founders of the museum and a Trustee. From there, you take an hour long tour of the mine itself, where you can still see some of the zinc ore which is left over from its mining days in all its fluorescence glory of reds and greens. You’re advised to wear good walking shoes, and to dress warmly as the mine stays at about 55 degrees year-round. “You get the whole mining atmosphere, dripping water, bats, the whole bit,” said Hauck, reassuring afterwards that bat sightings are rare and the water can be avoided. After the ore was mined, it was brought to the surface and crushed before it was sent out to be refined in Palmerton, Pa. “No refining was done here,” said a grateful Hauck, who explained that if it had been refined in Sussex, it would have created a lot of pollution. The final stage in the tour takes you to the Thomas S. Warren Museum of Fluorescence. This underground exhibit has over 600 fluorescent minerals on display in bright and amazing colors. There is display of household fluorescents, one with children’s toys all aglow, and many spectacular rocks that look ordinary in plain lighting, but when the lights switch to ultraviolet, show a beautiful array of colors. Outside, on the museum grounds are some amazing statues of miners on display done by Gary Prazen of Original Creations, Inc in Utah, as well as mining cars and a variety of other large equipment. You are welcome to tour the outside on your own, but to see any of the exhibits or the mine you must be on the tour, which leaves each day they are open at 1 p.m. Besides the regular tours and the gift shop, there is a snack shop. You are welcome to bring your own food as well. The museum can seat 60 people inside, and has several picnic tables outside as well. The museum also does parties, helps scouts earn badges and offers school tours and educational forums. They also have on site the Ellis Observatory which is used by the Sterling Hill Astronomy Group which is open to the public. The museum is experiencing its 30 minutes of fame on the Travel Channel’s “Cash and Treasures”. Becky Worley, the shows host, even participated in a night dig for minerals. The show has aired already, but will air again five times this month: March 6 at 10:30 p.m., March 7 at 1:30 a.m., March 10 at 4:30 p.m. and March 26 at both 7 and 10:30 p.m. Tours are held at 1 pm (other times by appointment) on weekends through March, and daily from April 1 to November 30. Tour prices are $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, and children under 12 are $7.50, though small children aren’t encouraged, they are welcome. For more information, visit them online at www.sterlinghill.org or call 973-209-7212.