Zinc Miner Statue
Franklin, New Jersey
This northwest corner of New Jersey was a vital center for iron and zinc mining, known for its mineral wealth since the 1600s, and actively worked for nearly a century to extract high grade zinc ore. The Franklin Mineral Museum presents the region's mining history.
Near the entrance to the museum there is a bronze depiction of a pick-hefting zinc miner, an ethnically ambiguous every-guy representing the myriad men who worked in the Franklin and Sterling mines. He stands on a pile of rocks and wears a carbide lamp, used by workers at the NJ Zinc Company before 1940. Sculptor unknown.
There were 77 fatalities, most in the early years. Franklin mining operations ceased in 1954.