Mica Mine Ruins

In a wooded area on the western bank of the Northwest Branch, now adjacent to the Springbrook Forest subdivision, workable quantities of mica led the Gilmore Mica Mines to begin operations in 1882. Mica is a silver-colored, heat resistant rock that can be split into thin transparent sheets, and in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was used to make windows in cast-iron heating stoves as well as lamp shades, electrical equipment, and cosmetics. The mine had a 50-foot vertical shaft, ceased operation in the 1920s, and had largely disappeared by the time the subdivision was built, though traces of shiny mica rock may still be visible on the ground.

Kemp Mill, Maryland · United States