Pahaquarry Copper Company (New Jersey)

Product Details

Beautifully engraved antique stock certificate from the Pahaquarry Copper Company dating back to the early 1900's. This document, which is signed by the company President and Treasurer, was printed by Albert B. King & Company and measures approximately 11" (w) by 8 1/4" (h).

The vignette features a Native American warrior with ships in the background.

Images

You will receive the exact certificate pictured.

Historical Context

The Pahaquarry Copper Company was incorporated in New Jersey and had offices in Belvidere.

The Pahaquarry mine site, located on the west side of Kittatinny Mountain presently in Hardwick Township in Warren County, was operated for three brief periods of mining activity. The earliest documented reports are from the 1750s, when John Reading, Jr. and his partners purchased land along the Mine Brook in early Walpack Township along the Delaware River in northwestern New Jersey. Reading, a prominent surveyor and land investor and member of the Provincial Council, served as the New Jersey colony's acting governor in 1747, and from 1757–1758. By 1760, the venture was a failure and mining activity ceased.

The next attempt began with the formation of the Alleghany Mining Company in 1847 by a group of men from Flemington, New Jersey. New mining activity began, but quickly ended in 1848, due to the poor quality of the ore. New management of the company restarted operations in 1861, but again mining quickly stopped the next year.

In 1867, Aaron Keyser bought the property for bark and timber. This soon ended when the land was transferred back to the Alleghany Mining Company in the 1890s.

The last mining attempt began in 1901 when the Montgomery Gold Leaf Mining Company, founded by the brothers, Henry and Oliver Deshler of Belvidere, New Jersey, purchased the assets of the Alleghany Mining Company. After unsuccessful operations, the company reorganized as the Pahaquarry Copper Company in 1904. During the next years, a large ore processing mill, adjoining buildings and infrastructure were constructed at the area. The mill underwent many changes as the technology developed by Nathaniel S. Keith was new and untested. New ore was not dug until 1911, and stopped after three months, producing perhaps only three ingots of refined copper. The last of the mining equipment was removed in 1928, ending copper mining in the area.

From 1925 to 1972, the area was a camp for the George Washington Council (now merged and part of Central New Jersey Council) of the Boy Scouts of America. The land was then purchased by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in preparation for the building of the controversial Tocks Island Dam project.