The Franklin Mineral Museum in Franklin, New Jersey is a

mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. ( ...

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

, and

mining museum A mine, i.e. an industrial facility for the underground extraction of mineral commodities, has three operating phases: it may be open or running, or closed or it may be a working museum. Most mines are simply closed once they are no longer produc ...

at the former Franklin Mine. It is located in

Sussex County, New Jersey Sussex County is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. Its county seat is Newton. ...

History

The mine was active from 1898 until the mid-1950s. The mine site became an

open-air museum An open-air museum (or open air museum) is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts out-of-doors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. Definition Open air is “the unconfined atmosphere� ...

in 1964.

Features

The Franklin Mineral Museum has a large mineral collection, a simulated

mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging * Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun ...

tunnel, and Native American artifacts. Visitors are allowed to collect mineral specimens in several areas of the former mine's tailings. Local minerals room – here you can find collections with more than 5,000 mineral specimens on display. It is one of the biggest and most diverse collections of

s in the world. It includes important ore minerals,

pegmatite A pegmatite is an igneous rock showing a very coarse texture, with large interlocking crystals usually greater in size than and sometimes greater than . Most pegmatites are composed of quartz, feldspar, and mica, having a similar silicic com ...

volcanic rock Volcanic rock (often shortened to volcanics in scientific contexts) is a rock formed from lava erupted from a volcano. In other words, it differs from other igneous rock by being of volcanic origin. Like all rock types, the concept of volcanic r ...

s, and others. Fluorescent minerals room – here you can explore the surreal display of fluorescent minerals. The main display is 32 feet long and it is unsurpassed in the world for the variety of its colors. Indian room – there are numerous Native American artifacts, including the collection of stone tools made by the Lenni Lenape Indians, the earliest inhabitants of what later became

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. The collection contains artifacts from all over the United States and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, and includes tools such as axes, spear heads, knives, as well as some pottery and baskets. Fossil room – contains a wide variety of fossils from dinosaurs and different animals. Life-size mine replica – it contains underground mine passages where people can explore the mines, experience and see first-hand the mining methods that were used.

References

External links

*
Mindat.org: entry for Franklin Mineral Museum
{{authority control Museums in Sussex County, New Jersey Mineralogy museums Mining museums in New Jersey Geology museums in New Jersey Industry museums in New Jersey Mines in New Jersey Underground mines in the United States Franklin, New Jersey Museums established in 1964 1964 establishments in New Jersey