The Ore Mines were in operation from 1795 - 1830 for the Mount Vernon Furnace.  In the 1830's the ore was mined and shipped to the Charlotte Furnace in Scottdale by the Green Lick Valley Narrow Gauge Railroad until sometime in the 1880's.

     If you were taking a walk through the woods, you would probably miss the Mine Entrance unless you knew what you were looking for.  The Ore Mines were located on the hill above the Furnace.  There were numerous mines carved into the hill.  There must have been many different entrances, but this is the only one that is still known of.  It has been sealed shut with rocks for safety reasons and over the years has been over grown by vegetation.  A small stream of water running from the mine entrance shows signs of sulphur.  On our trip, we were fortunate enough to find some ore in the creek bed.  We also saw the slag piles around the mine area.

     It took a lot of hard work and muscle to do what these Pioneers did.  And given the type of equipment that was available in that time period (Horses; Mules; Axe; Picks, Shovels, etc.)  It gives us great pride to honor these people that helped build our township.  We hope that our future generations will enjoy our Heritage from the past and gladly pass it on. 

OUR GROUP THAT WENT TO THE ORE MINES