Upcoming Events
Braen Franklin Quarry Dig 2026
FOMS DIGS 2026
Call FOMS PHONE: 973-304-5504
Email: [email protected]
Dig Committee Co-Chairs: Dave Wellbrock and Eric Stroud
Site supervisor and lead coordinator: Dave Wellbrock
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FOMS DIG: APRIL 18, 2026 (SATURDAY)
Braen Franklin Quarry
Meet 8:30 a.m. at Braen Franklin Quarry,
280 Cork Hill Road for sign-in.
Orientation at 8:45 a.m.
All PPE required, no minors.
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General Meeting 1:30–3 p.m., members and public are invited
Franklin Mineral Museum 32 Evans Street Franklin, NJ 07416
(Museum will be open. Bathrooms are available. Any visit to mineral rooms inside the museum requires a day pass from FMM or a membership to FMM.)
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Franklin Boro Resources
Early morning Franklin businesses:
Walmart, 230 State Route 23, Franklin, NJ
opens at 6 a.m., bathroom, shopping
McDonald’s, 260 Route 23 in Franklin, NJ
opens at 6 a.m., bathroom, lobby, food
Starbuck’s, 111 Route 23 in Franklin, NJ
opens at 5:30 a.m., bathroom, lobby, food
Media / Photos
Send all photos or links to [email protected] to make them available to FOMS, our Archive, and others. (If you want to restrict the photos to FOMS and the Archive only, please indicate that.) Add your name into the title or the photo or folder.
Newsletter / Articles
Newsletter: articles, photos, field notes, drawings, videos: Any and all material that relate to your trip and to your collected items from the Braen Quarry are welcome as submissions to the newsletter. Your contribution can be casual, or highly scientific. Anything is welcome, as long as it is accurate. Please send queries and submissions to [email protected]
The Picking Table / Articles
If you want to write an article of significance regarding the Braen Quarry, please send queries and submissions to [email protected]. You will receive a timely response.
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What is Braen Franklin Quarry?
Franklin Quarry, Franklin, Sussex County, New Jersey.
(Do not confuse with other Braen properties)
An important quarry in the Franklin Marble and is also an important employer in the area. The quarry is now an essential source of crushed stone for road work and the general construction industry. It is located off Cork Hill Road, in the southern portion of Franklin borough, near the Ogdensburg line and between the two zinc orebodies. In the final years of the Sterling Mine’s operation, this quarry provided the fine marble aggregate used to backfill mined out areas in that mine. It now keeps its commonly used name as the Franklin Quarry. This locality is within the Franklin Mining District.
Minerals that have been found or are associated to this quarry are listed below, with references to Mindat and FOMS.
| # | Mineral | FOMSNJ.org |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aragonite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 1.1 | Azurite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 2 | Calcite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 3 | Chondrodite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 4 | Clinochlore | FOMSNJ.org |
| 5 | Corundum | FOMSNJ.org |
| 6 | Diopside | FOMSNJ.org |
| 7 | Dolomite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 8 | Edenite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 9 | Fluoborite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 10 | Fluorapatite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 11 | Fluorite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 12 | Fluoro-pargasite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 13 | Fluorophlogopite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 14 | Fluor-uvite [Type Locality] | FOMSNJ.org |
| 15 | Galena | FOMSNJ.org |
| 16 | Goethite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 17 | Graphite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 18 | Hematite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 19 | Hercynite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 20 | Magnesio-hornblende | FOMSNJ.org |
| 21 | Malachite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 22 | Marcasite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 23 | Margarite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 24 | Meionite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 25 | Microcline | FOMSNJ.org |
| 26 | Muscovite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 27 | Norbergite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 28 | Pargasite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 29 | Phlogopite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 30 | Pyrite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 31 | Pyrrhotite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 32 | Quartz | FOMSNJ.org |
| 33 | Rutile | FOMSNJ.org |
| 34 | Sphalerite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 35 | Spinel | FOMSNJ.org |
| 36 | Talc | FOMSNJ.org |
| 37 | Titanite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 38 | Dravite (Tourmaline) | FOMSNJ.org |
| 39 | Tremolite | FOMSNJ.org |
| 40 | Willemite | FOMSNJ.org |
Membership & Age Requirements
FOMS field trips are only open to members who have paid their dues in full for the current year. Age 13 is the minimum for some collecting; for working commercial quarries, the minimum age is 18. If you are new or renewing, make sure to check your membership far in advance with the dig chairman so that you can be cleared for insurance coverage. You must RSVP one month in advance and register for digs at least two weeks in advance.
Safety & Participation Guidelines
Proper field trip gear is required, including a hard hat, protective eyewear, gloves, and sturdy shoes. Be prepared for rough, rocky terrain, steep hills, underbrush, thorns and brambles, unexpected holes, mud, water, rain, cold, and heat. A whistle and charged phone (expect no cell signal, possibly) with emergency contacts are important. Bring water and all necessities. Black tarp and low- mid- and longwave UV lights for fluorescent minerals. Buckets, a backpack, etc. Consider a magnet or compass. Events take place unless there is a weather emergency. Please consider talking with us in advance if you are new or have not been to a location before. Federal guidelines must be met for working quarries, including certified composite or steel-toed boots, a safety vest, a hard hat, protective eyewear, gloves, etc. See the longer lists and paperwork for working quarries.