(...continued) In 1905, the Hoff Mining and Realty Improvement Company reopened the mine, resuming ore extraction and starting work on a new tunnel about half a mile north of the main mine. Intended to reach a separate vein, the tunnel was driven 155 feet, but no mining took place from it. Just north of the tunnel, another shaft was sunk. By 1910, annual production from this operation had reached 12,000 tons.

The Hoff family had strong ties to the iron industry in Morris County. In 1775, Joseph Hoff took charge of the Hibernia ironworks for Lord Stirling, and his brother Charles Hoff later succeeded him, moving to Mount Pleasant—the region where the Hoff Mine was located. Charles Hoff was a well-respected scholar and ironworker of his time, later founding the Washington Forge in what would become Port Oram. It is unclear whether Charles Hoff himself, or his descendants, were responsible for opening the Hoff Mine. By 1872, the mine was owned by Harriet “Hannah” Hoff, who passed away in 1878. That year, the Hoff Mine was leased to the Chester Mining Company.

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