The Beach Glen Mine dates back to at least 1760 as a charcoal forge was built in the vicinity that year. However, it was not until 1808 that mining here was documented. Around this time, iron ore was mined from the surface but operations were apparently brief. The mine was worked on and off from 1851 onwards after two openings were made 400 feet apart from each other.

In 1900, at a depth of 475 feet, a rich magnetite vein was discovered 14 feet wide yielding 56 to to 60 percent iron. Up to this point, only lean ore had been found. 7,000 tons of ore were removed but the plummeting price of ore closed the mine again in 1903.

The mine reopened again in 1923 by the North Jersey Steel Company. In an effort to make the business venture appear more promising, the company asserted that only the most contemporary methods of production were utilized. During this period, the mine was worked through an adit more than 1450 feet long to a main shaft and from a 14 degree sloping entrance called the Main Hoisting Incline.

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