National Limestone Quarries - Middleburg and Mt Pleasant Mills, PA

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Date:
        
10/4/2025
    
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Location: 3499 Quarry Rd, Middleburg, PA 17842

Join us for an unforgettable rockhounding adventure at the famous National Limestone Quarries in Middleburg and Mount Pleasant Mills, Pennsylvania — followed by a delicious BBQ cookout in Mifflinburg, PA!

This all-day trip offers the chance to collect exciting specimens, connect with fellow rock enthusiasts, and enjoy great food afterward.

Collecting Locations

  • Middleburg Quarry Office
    3499 Quarry Rd, Middleburg, PA 17842

  • Mount Pleasant Mills Quarry
    100 Quarry Rd, Mount Pleasant Mills, PA 17853

  • BBQ Cookout (hosted by Jim Van Fleet)
    222 Market St, Mifflinburg, PA 17844

Date & Time

  • Date: Saturday, October 4

  • Meet-Up Time: 9:30 AM SHARP

  • Briefing: Starts within 20 minutes of arrival at the Middleburg Quarry Office

Travel & Carpooling

  • Carpooling is strongly encouraged!

  • Printed directions to the second quarry and BBQ location will be provided at check-in.

  • GPS use is also recommended.

Collecting Schedule

  • Middleburg Quarry: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

  • Mount Pleasant Mills Quarry: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

  • BBQ Cookout in Mifflinburg: After 4:00 PM – all are invited!

What to Bring

  • Plenty of water, lunch/snacks

  • Rock hammer, chisels, sledgehammer, pry bars

  • Buckets, newspaper, backpack for specimens

  • Shovel, sunscreen, bug spray

Safety Requirements

  • Hard Hat:  Required

  • Other Gear: Safety glasses, sturdy footwear, gloves

  • Waiver: All participants must sign a Hold Harmless Agreement and attendance sheet

Why Join?

  • Access to two premier Pennsylvania collecting sites famous for unique specimens

  • A full day of digging, hammering, and discovery

  • End the day with Jim Van Fleet’s outstanding cookout in Mifflinburg

  • Unlimited attendance – everyone is welcome!

Don’t miss this chance to explore the National Limestone Quarries in PA with fellow rockhounds and enjoy an evening of great food and camaraderie!

Fee: FREE

Safety Information: National Limestone Quarries (NLQ) requires HARD HAT, Safety / Steel Tip or Composite Rubber boots, safety goggles, work gloves for BOTH quarries. If you don't have these, visit Home Depot or Harbor Freight or similar and get the soon.

Tools: Rock Hammer, Sledge Hammer, Chisels, Bucket, Safety glasses, sturdy footwear, gloves, lots of water

Post Event Write-Up:

Attendees: Groundhog Dave Shapiro, Ron “ChiselBuster” Schulz, Hayley “Shakespeare” Nalepa, Dave “Lermanator” Lerman, Stephanie “Carpet Squares” Apgar, Ryan “Rock Around the Klock” Klockner, Kevin “Coop” Cooper, Gary Quam with Anders Todd; Lisa “20 Questions” Bostedo with Maria and Kris Parastschenko; Paul “Mr Reveille” Radziewicz, Dianne Soccio with Steve Jones; Yu Lin, Luca Prendini, Dan “Photog” and Linda Sackerman with MSNEPA members; Brad and Jillian Plotkin; Linda Conner, Patricia Brown with Tom Davidson; Brandon Tracey, George Speidel, Mike “Pie Man” Dunton with Nittany Mineralogical Society members.

A Perfect Day for Pennsylvania Mineral Collecting

Our recent National Limestone Quarries collecting trip was another outstanding success!
Participants enjoyed a full day of mineral collecting at both the Middleburg Quarry and Mt. Pleasant Mills Quarry, two of the most popular destinations in Pennsylvania for calcite, strontianite, fluorite, and wavellite.

After Eric’s always-entertaining safety briefing, collectors fanned out across the Middleburg site.
Evidence of recent blasting made for some fresh exposure, and the terrain looked notably different since last fall’s trip.
A number of members uncovered massive-form fluorite embedded in shale and weathered dolomite — a great way to start the day!

Eric also mentioned a newly discovered celestine vein at Mt. Pleasant Mills, though its exact location remained elusive for our group.

Minerals and Fossils at Mt. Pleasant Mills

The Mt. Pleasant Mills Quarry never disappoints.
Collectors found strontianite, dogtooth calcite, and even a few handsome brachiopod fossils from the wavellite pit area.
That same pit produced pea-sized to slightly larger wavellite crystals along with smaller secondary growths.
Several participants also reported discovering flowstone near the back of the lower area.

Notable Finds

  • Yu Lin – Exceptional dogtooth calcite clusters from Mt. Pleasant Mills (back area).

  • Lisa “20 Questions” Bostedo – Sizable strontianite crystal growth on shale.

  • Kris Parastschenko – Several massive-form fluorite specimens with dolomite from Middleburg.

  • Maria Roselle – Distinct gastropod fossil found in the wavellite pit, Mt. Pleasant Mills.

  • Ron “ChiselBuster” Schulz – Beautiful calcite crystals shared generously with other collectors.

  • Mike “Pie Man” Dunton – Sparkling druzy calcite with chalcopyrite flecks, Middleburg.

  • Luca Prendini – Small but perfect 1 cm strontianite “spike balls” from Mt. Pleasant Mills.

(There were surely many more notable finds—Groundhog’s notebook couldn’t capture them all!)

Community and Cookout

As always, the day concluded with the legendary BBQ cookout, hosted by Jim Van Fleet and his wife Liddy.
The spread featured homemade chili, baked beans, burgers, hot dogs, bratwursts, deviled eggs, and more desserts than anyone could count—plus plenty of cold drinks to go around.

During lunch, the group discussed upcoming plans for the NoJMS Lapidary Workshop, including Jim’s generous donation of a diamond saw to support future projects.
We can’t thank Jim and Liddy enough for their hospitality and continued support!

Another Successful FM-NJ / NoJMS Mineral Adventure

With perfect weather, great company, and exceptional finds, this trip to the National Limestone Quarries was one for the books.
Everyone left with new specimens, new stories, and plenty of anticipation for the next rockhounding adventure in Pennsylvania!

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