Archive Record
Metadata
Title |
Patrick F. Farrell Collection |
Collection |
ADKX Library: Manuscript Collection |
Object Name |
Manuscript |
Scope & Content |
This collection contains correspondence, surveys, geological reports, clippings, drawings, books, business records, and maps relating to the history of mining in Essex County. Specific companies include the American Mineral Company; the Port Henry Iron Ore Company; Witherbee, Sherman & Company; and the Lake Champlain and Moriah Railroad. There are also several reports from the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Enginners, dating from 1873 - 1925. |
Call Number |
MS 18-007 |
Catalog Number |
2001.022.0043 |
Creator |
Farrell, Patrick F., 1918 - 1996 |
Year Range from |
1840 |
Year Range to |
1978 |
Dates of Creation |
1840 - 1978 |
Digital File |
Click here for a printable inventory. |
Extent of Description |
12 record boxes |
Admin/Biographical History |
Patrick F. Farrell was involved with mining in the Adirondacks for nearly all of his life. He was a long-time employee of the Republic Steel Corporation in its Mineville Iron District, working as a mining engineer, foreman, and Superintendent and District Superintendent of Mines. Farrell was also a historian. His history of mining in the Adirondacks, Through the Light Hole, was published posthumously in 1996. Farrell was born on December 14, 1918 and grew up in Essex County, New York. His grandfather, an Irish immigrant, worked underground in the mines at Fisher Hill, and his father held a clerical position at the Mineville operations of Witherbee, Sherman and Company. Farrell attended Regents Academic High School and took college courses in business, literature, philosophy, and environmental conservation. He and his wife, Flora, had two children, Susan and John. Farrell died on November 11, 1996. Farrell first began his work in the mining industry with Witherbee, Sherman, and Company (W.S. & Co.) in 1937, working as an assistant mine surveyor. Farrell continued to work with the Republic Steel Corporation (RSC) when RSC leased operations of the mines in 1938. At the time of his retirement in 1982, Farrell had maintained 45 continuous years of involvement with RSC in the Mineville Iron District, noted as being one of the largest developed magnetic ore concentrations in the world. Farrell began his work for RSC as an engineering clerk and draftsman. In 1943, he became a mining engineer, and during the 1950s he served as general mine foreman at RSC's Fisher Hill Mine and as an Assistant Superintendent of Mines. In 1961, Farrell was promoted to Superintendent of Mines, a position he held until the Mineville operations were closed a decade later. As Superintendent, he supervised and reported on the production and planning of the district's mining and crushing operations. From 1972 until his retirement, Farrell worked as the District Superintendent of Mines, directing idle plant maintenance and managing property and local matters relative to RSC's interest in the area. Farrell is credited with pioneering the development of flat incline bored raises and decline tunnel boring, innovations that improved safety, costs, and productivity during his tenure at Republic Steel Corporation. Farrell was recognized as a 50-year member of American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) in 1992, also having served as a chair of AIME's Adirondack Section. He was a member of the American Mining Congress, and a member of the Environmental Conservation Committee and Mining and Land Use Subcommittee of Associated Industries of New York State. After his retirement from Republic Steel Corporation in 1982, Farrell continued to work as a consultant for RSC, and worked as a consultant for other interests in the mineral industry in the Adirondacks, including LTV Steel, Rhone Poulenc, Inc., and Williams Strategic Metals. He delivered lectures on mining to graduate students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his technical papers have been published in Mining Congress Journal and London Mining Journal. His history of mining in the Adirondacks, Through the Light Hole, was published after his death in 1996. In addition to his association with the mining industry and mining history in the region, Farrell was involved in a number of educational, civic, and political activities in Essex County, New York. He served as a trustee and president of the Essex County Historical Society, and was a member and chair of the Board of Directors of the Essex County Industrial Development Agency and the Mineville-Witherbee Board of Fire Commissioners. Farrell was also a member of numerous other organizations, including the Crown Point Foundation, the Moriah and Essex County school boards, and the Essex County Republican Committee. In 1985, Farrell received the Liberty Bell Award from the Essex County Bar Association in recognition of his commitment to community service. |
System of arrangement |
Collection is unprocessed. All items remain in original files and in original order. See inventory for listing of contents. |
Search Terms |
American Mineral Company.; Essex County (N.Y.); Iron mines and mining.; Lake Champlain and Moriah Railroad.; Mines and mineral resources.; Mineville (N.Y.); Moriah (N.Y.); Port Henry Iron Ore Company.; Republic Steel Corporation.; Witherbee, Sherman and Company.; |
People |
Farrell, Patrick F., 1918- |
Access Conditions |
Access to this collection is unrestricted |
Copyrights |
Fair use copy permitted for research, study, or investigational purposes citing the Adirondack Experience. Any other use requires written permission. Preferred Citation: Patrick F. Farrell Collection, MS 18-007, Adirondack Experience Library, Blue Mountain Lake, NY |
Archivist's Notes |
Donated by Flora Farrell in 2001. |
Related Items |
Show Related Records... |
Related units of description |
See also the Addendum to the Patrick F. Farrell Collection (MS 09-003), which is also comprised of materials compiled and created by Patrick F. Farrell. The addendum consists primarily of materials related to the history and technology of iron ore mining in Essex County, New York, including a significant amount of materials pertaining to the Republic Steel Corporation's mining operations at Mineville, New York. |
Credit line |
Gift of Flora S. Farrell in memory of Patrick F. Farrell |