Status: Unknown

The Pattenburg Quarry is in close proximity to the Musconetcong (Pattenburg) Tunnels. I don’t know when it was incorporated, but I can guess that it shut down some time in the early to mid 1980s by a tag on what was left of a truck body on the property.

According to statements from people who live in the vicinity, a section of the blasting area had collapsed taking with it part of an access road. Whether or not this event was the reason for its closing is unknown. It may have also been a possibility that whatever resources were being mined here had run out.

The quarry wasn’t the biggest I’ve seen, but still had an intricate network of conveyor belts, sifters, and some types of refinement buildings. There was a crane on the property that probably dated back to the 1940s or 50s, along with a small weigh station that looked like it was shot up with a BB Gun. The weigh station was used to ensure dump trucks full of material were within DOT weight limitations before they hit the road.

Today, the quarry is a popular spot for dirt bike and ATV riders. The local authorities aren’t too happy about this unwelcome attention for good reason. According to locals, roughly 4 years ago, a boy riding his dirt bike had a fatal accident here when he plunged off a cliff. Since then, the authorities have been cracking down on trespassers on the property for their own safety.

- 5witchbhakk, 2003