Danville Iron Mines, Danville, Mahoning Township, Montour Co., Pennsylvania, USA

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Ref.1) 2nd Geo. Survey of PA - G7 Susquehanna River Region, 1883; I. C. White pgs. 100-114. Ref.2) Geo. of PA (1st survey) 1858; H. D. Rogers, vol. I, pgs. 440-450 Ref.3) Trans. of Am. Inst. of Mining Engineers V20 "Notes on the Iron ores of Danville PA..." 1892; H. H. Stoek, pgs 368-385.
*Special thanks to Larry Mordan and Herm Jones, decendents of Welsh miners at Danville and local iron mine historians, for providing a tour of mine sites, oral histories and additional research materials and specimens.

A series of mines along Montour Ridge in the Clinton formation at Danville, exploiting the most favorable beds of the red Hematite deposits of Central Pennsylvania. Conveniently situated within the vast Anthracite region of NE Pennsylvania, the area also included sufficient local limestone to quarry for use in fluxing. Both "fossil" ore and "block" ore proved exploitable in the Danville area. Samples of ore from the Percell slope tested to levels as high as 38.7% FeO2. The combination of good ores, flux and technologically advanced metallurgical practices for the day, produced an iron of the highest quality.

First developed in 1839-40 by D. Leavitt of NYC, and in 1842 by Chambers, Biddle & Co., who built the first blast furnace. In 1847, The Montour Iron Company was incorporated by the Grove Bros. and continued, under various ownerships, to process ore from these mines until 1889 when the last of these mining operations closed. The company continued to operate using ore brought in from the great lakes region. various blast furnaces including Columbia furnaces, Franklin furnace, and chulasky furnace all produced pig iron. Montour Iron company operated 3 Blast furnaces plus puddle and rolling mills. On October 8, 1845 the first "T' rail ever procuced with iron smelted by use of Anthracite fuel was rolled at the Montour Iron Company. The rails produced here were of the finest quality, and for a time, the company became the the largest producer of "T" rail in the nation.

The mines at Danville included Purcell Slope, Frosty slope, and Valley Slope on the N.W. side of Montour Ridge, Monkey Drift, Welsh Hill, and Water Level on the S.E. side, along with various privately owned and leased workings throughout the area. Descending at an incline of 30 to 40 degrees, these mines employed "long wall" mining, the earliest use of this "new" method of mining in Pennsylvania. Introduced by Welsh mining expert Daniel Edwards, first superintendent of mines for the Montour Iron co., who later, went on to become general manager of Kingston Coal Co. for the Montour Ironworks, this method was eventually employed in the majority of tunneling Coal mining operations throughout Pennsylvania.

Mineral List

Hematite

1 entry listed. 1 valid mineral.