Industry
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Located in Prince William Forest Park above the banks of Quantico Creek, the Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine was an active mining area from 1889 to 1920. It employed residents of the villages of Batestown and Hickory Ridge, and the pyrite, or “fool’s gold,” brought to the surface was processed into sulfuric acid and used in making soap, fertilizer, and gunpowder. During its years of operation, the mine supplied more than 200,000 long tons of pyrite for industry in the United States. After closing in 1920, it lay dormant until the National Park Service and the state of Virginia reclaimed it in 1995.
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Montclair, Virginia · United States
