I need a woman ’bout twice my height
posted in Roadside Attractions, Filming, Family & Friends |Our second day with Leah and Katie, was going to be a big one. We were planning on visiting the Franklin Mineral Museum, and the Sterling Hill Mining Museum. This area of New Jersey is known for the many fluorescent minerals that are found at both locations.
After driving several hours, we were happy to finally be at the Franklin Mineral Museum. Apparently the museum is housed in what used to be the old electric generator building.
Before going around back to see the collecting feild, we decided to tour the museum first.
Doesn’t Leah look chic?
Old microscopes.
This is a case of products made from minerals mined here
Here is a model of the mining operations.
The museum has a room that filled with fluorescnet minerals.
See how different everything looks in regular light.
After looking at all the exhibits inside the museum, we went out to the collecting area behind the museum.
We had a good time at the Franklin Mineral Museum, but the day was getting late, and we still needed to get to Sterling Hill. The Sterling Hill Mining Museum is known for the “Rainbow Room” inside the mine. This room is actually an old mine shaft created by the miners as they extracted the zinc ore. Visitors can see the bands of the fluorescent minerals running over the top of the ceiling.
The Sterling Hill Mining Museum is owned by brother’s Richard and Robert Hauck. Both are old school miners whose goal is to preserve the mine for future generations.
Since we arrived after the public tour had already finished, we were treated to a special, private tour.
First we visited the main Exhibit Hall. This was a locker room for the miners when it was still active. Now it has been turned into a musuem of mining memorabilia and ephemeria.
After looking at all the displays in the Exhibit Hall, it was time for us to enter the rooms with the fluorescent minerals.
There are over 340 minerals found at the Sterling Hill Mine, but the most common are Franklinite, Willemite, and Zincite. This locality hosts 80 species of fluorescent minerals; more than over other single location worldwide.
But no tour would be complete without entering the mine.
Also on the property is one of Thomas Edison’s many test areas,
and sculptures depicting very buff, shirtless miners.
On a side note, on the way back to Philadelphia, near Cherry Hill, we spotted our first real life Uni-Royal Girl.
