Keystone Mining Corporation (Mica)

Location: West Nottingham

Newspaper Clippings

Daily Republican
8th May 1954

Chester County may become the scene of a “mica-rush” as the result of the discovery of flake mica in commercial quantities, but the Lancaster firm that made the discoveries thinks that the event is not probable.

“We have the mineral rights to all of the deposits pretty well sewed up,” a company representative said.

H. G. Hess, president, of Keystone Mining Co., said he’ll begin taking the bright-crumbly mineral out of the ground this fall. A $27,000 flake-mica processing plant will be built near the Pennsylvania Railroad’s tracks, just off Route 1, in East Nottingham Township, three miles south of Oxford.

48 Tons Daily

Hess added that he expects to produce 48 tons of mica a day, seven days a week, on a 24-hour shift.

That will yield 14 tons of refined mica a day, he estimates. Flake mica – used in electronic equipment, wallpaper and spark plugs – is worth from$30 to $170 a ton, depending on the quality and state of the market.

Hess noted that the Chester County mica s of high quality. Pressed it can be substituted for more expensive sheet mica, used in irons, toasters, and places where resistance to heat and electricity is required.

Hess, who has been in the mining game for 20 years, started prospecting in Chester County in 1946. Using old mining surveys, maps and historical books, Hess located loads in East Nottingham, Elk, London Grove, Penn and New London townships. The search cost $19,000, he said.

Company Formed

About a year ago he formed a company to exploit the deposits and began acquiring leases and mineral rights on 487 acres.

Hess said mica can be seen in the sunlight around the West Grove – Oxford area.

“there are places where solid beds of mica turn up about eight inches below the ground. You can get down to the commercial mica with a garden trowel.

He admitted there’s the possibility that he might have overlooked some deposits, but as far as he knows, “we’ve nailed all of them that have commercial possibilities.”

The company which will employ 25, will begin making test drillings to a depth of 20 feet next week in an attempt to estimate the quantity underground.

Oxford News
27th January 1955

Keystone Mining Corp. New Plant Nearly Ready to Begin Production of Mica

The Keystone Mining Corporation’s new processing plant is located one-half mile southwest of Oxford on Route 1. It will extract mica, magnetite, and other minerals from ore mined in this area. The plant site consists of four acres, with railroad facilities on the property.

The company is operated by local men of Lancaster and York Counties. The Keystone Mining Corporation is the first company in these parts to install separating equipment for producing mica and its associated minerals. Recent tests have shown a very high content of vitally needed mica in flake and sheet forms as well as kaolin, magnetite and pigments.

The modern equipment of our plant will be installed under the supervision of a large engineering form from Fort Wayne, Indiana – and the equipment will be capable of separating, concentrating, washing, drying, and readying for market the various minerals known to be in the ore fond on our property. To support this modern processing plant, the Keystone Mining Corporation has acquired the mineral rights to over 1,000 acres of ore-rich land in Lancaster, Lebanon, and Chester Counties. The first operation will be a strip mining operation near our plant in Chester County ... but it is planned to develop the deposits of strategic sheet mica in upper Lancaster and Lebanon Counties in the near future.

Mica is used in manufacturing of insulation of all types, both electrical and household, in paints, plastics, and many other home and industrial needs. Kaolin has many uses in medicine, soaps, whitewares, porcelains, paper, and rubber. A complete list of the uses for mica is available by writing to this company.

[Samples and chemical analysis are available to industrial companies using muscovite mica.]

Keystone Mining Corporation, 167 E. King St., Lancaster.

Oxford News
20th October 1955

[Photograph not included]

The new cement block building housing equipment for the production of mica operated by the Keystone Mining Corp, Lancaster is shown above. Tests have been satisfactory, officials report, and the expectation is that the original machinery will be increased for enlarged production.

Tests which have been run at the Keystone Mining Corporation’s new plant one-half mile southwest of Oxford on Route 1 have been even more satisfactory than at first anticipated, Mr. Hess, company manager reported.

Machinery installed is ready to begin production, extracting mica, magnetite, and other minerals from ore mined in this area. The plant site consists of four acres, with railroad facilities on the property.

The company is operated by local men of Lancaster and York Counties, and has secured leased [sic] of mineral rights in the area for the production of mica. They also plan to install machinery for processing other minerals.

Recent tests have shown a very high content of vitally needed mica in flake and sheet forms as well as kaolin, magnetite, and pigments. The Keystone Mining Corporation is the first company to install separating equipment for producing mica.

The equipment of the plant was installed under supervision of a Fort Wayne, Indiana firm.

The company at present owns mineral rights to over 1,000 acres of ore-rich land, and will also be interested in receiving material form independent land owners, Mr. Hess stated.