Pyrite Mine

"Before I will give you another penny, I will let the shafts fill up with water and the frogs jump in," the mine superintendent told workers who were seeking a raise of 50 cents a day. Unbeknownst to the workers, a cheaper but higher grade of pyrite had been discovered in Spain. So, the superintendent shut down the Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine that was located here along Quantico Creek. From 1889 to 1919, miners from nearby communities used dynamite to extract pyrite from shafts more than 1,000 feet below the surface. The ore was mined for its sulfur, which industries used to make soap, fertilizer, paper, medicines, and explosives.