A Hundred Dollars Isn’t Worth What It Used To Be…

Here are some facts when Duff Quarry started in 1954.

Following more wives moving back into the workforce, the economy grew because of increased demand for consumer goods. Popular television programs included “Father Knows Best”. Marlin Brando starred in two of the most popular movies “On the Waterfront” and “The Wild One”. The movie “Blackbound Jungle” also featured the song “Rock Around the Clock” from Bill Haley and the Comets, and Elvis Presley cut his first commercial record.

To learn more about how to make your money go further when buying stone, contact Duff Quarry at 937.686.2811 or www.duffquarry.com.  

This post was brought to you by the fine folks of Duff Quarry, Ohio Ready Mix and Ohio Lumber. We’d love to connect with you via facebook or twitter.

Summer at the lake has come and gone but we won’t forget those “hot summer nights”. The Indian Lake Chamber offers us an annual event to stop and reflect on the season with friends and family, good times and laughter.

The event being the Indian Lake Ring of Fire is scheduled in September of each year. It is the lake’s oldest tradition dating back to 1961 when amusement park manager, AM Brown presented the idea of ringing the lake with flares to the Chamber of Commerce. The origin of red flares came from the Seneca tribe of New York State, who celebrated a bountiful harvest by lighting bonfires around the shores of the lake.

In the past, the Indian Lake Ring of Fire signified the end of the peak recreational seasonal between Memorial Day and Labor Day. We and our friends of the Indian Lake Chamber Commerce now look at it in a different way. The Ring of Fire signals the start of new seasons at Indian Lake, Autumn and Winter.

We’re proud to operate our family owned business in the Indian Lake Area and offer support to the Chamber when possible. As we gear up for the next season and New Year, we’ll continue to save space for flares and honor a long-time tradition.

This post was brought to you by the fine folks of Duff Quarry, Ohio Ready Mix and Ohio Lumber. We’d love to connect with you via facebook or twitter.

Duff Quarry is fully committed to complying with all Federal MSHA laws which includes the federal required SOSA, Stay Out! Stay Alive! Campaign. Hunting, fishing, swimming, and non-mining activity is strictly prohibited by federal law on any permitted mine site in the state of Ohio.

MSHA, Mine Safety and Health Administration, formed SOSA in 1999. Stay Out! Stay Alive! is a national public awareness campaign geared toward warning children and adults about the dangers of exploring and playing on active and abandoned mine sites.

Kansas City Chiefs’ running back, Thomas Jones speaks out for the SOSA campaign raising awareness about the dangers of active and abandoned mines and quarries. Over 70 federal and state agencies, organizations, business and individuals have partnered with the campaign.

Stay-Out! Stay Alive! partners visit schools, communities and youth organizations around the country to educate kids about the hazards of active and abandoned mines and quarries and the importance to steer clear. Enjoy this online coloring book and share SOSA with your family.

It’s that time of year again for the annual Logan County Neighborhood Outreach Christmas in the Park at the Indian Lake State Park. If you haven’t seen the light display, it’s a must see! Several area businesses and organizations donate their time to build a display of holiday cheer for local residents and visitors to enjoy. With over 57 businesses on display and two roads of campsites, the program continues to grow each year marking 2010 the 4^th Annual Christmas in the Park.

All proceeds from the event benefit the children and families from the Western, Chippewa and Russells Point neighborhoods through the Outreach Centers.  Outreach centers partner with neighbors and residents to facilitate and organize programs that promote stability, children safety and strong communities. Locally, the activities include monthly meetings, holiday events, birthday parties, family outings, mentor programs, nutrition programs, job training and homework help.  For more information on the Outreach Center, contact Drew Shick or Aaron Pool at 937-843-9283.

Christmas in the Park is open to the public on December 12, 17, 18, 19, 22 and 23 from 6-9 at the Indian Lake State Park Campground. The group is asking for a $5 donation per car load that tours the display. Drive thru, enjoy the show and send us a picture of you and the family in front of the Ohio Ready Mix and Duff Quarry scene.

From our family to yours – Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

“For Those About to Rock – We Salute You”. We always “Rock Around the Clock” to great tunes here at Duff Quarry and this holiday season is no different. In the office we’re “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and placing your orders when we hear the “Jingle Bell Rock”. Our service is no “Rock ’N ’Roll Fantasy” it’s “Rock Steady” satisfaction. Our “Rock and Roll” quarry blast “Ain’t Noise Pollution” and our crew is no “Jailhouse Rock”. We stand outside the shop to view a “Rockin’ Robin” and remember to be thankful that the quarry began because a man named Jim said “Let There Be Rock” and “I Love Rock and Roll”.

At Duff Quarry – “We Will Rock You”…Come see for yourself and share your favorite “Rock ‘N Roll” with us!

Duff Quarry has been known as one of Ohio’s richest mineral deposits, especially for Pyrite or Fool’s Gold as it is commonly known.  President/CEO Jim Duff comments, “Even though we are no longer able to open the quarry to collectors, we like to share that there is a little bit of gold that leaves with every load of Duff rock.” For over 30 years, mineralogists have been studying pyrite specimens from Duff Quarry’s Huntsville, Ohio location and reporting on them in numerious magazines and published reports.

Today, these minerals are crushed and processed into many sizes of stone and then shipped out by truck to area projects and consumers. It’s not uncommon to find some very nice pieces in the driveways of many homes and business in and around Hardin, Logan, Champaign and other counties within delivery range of the quarry.

Pyrite pocket formed under stylolite found at Duff Quarry Image from http://VasichkoMinerals.com

Duff Quarry is known for its large deposit that contains pyrite, the largest of any other quarry in Ohio and quite possibly the United States. Pyrite can form many different crystal patterns and Duff Quarry is one of the few locations where many different crystal forms can be found together in the deposit itself.

Due to new federal mining and safety requirements, the quarry does not allow rock hunting or collecting, but they do encourage visitors to see a collection of specimins on display inside of the Huntsville quarry dispatch room or photos on www.duffquarry.com.

The Huntsville Duff quarry contains dolomitic limestone and has a bluish grey color and is excellent for construction materials like concrete and asphalt production. The upper layers can have a reddish hue because of the high iron content. The lower layers of the quarry contain a dense dark grey rock that is in laminated sheets.

For more about the mineralogy of Duff Quarry, check out VasichkoMinerals.com for a detailed look at the quarry’s rich mineral deposits.  If you would like to find out more about Duff Quarry’s history, please subscribe to our newsletter on the upper right of the page.

We at Duff Quarry are excited to announce that we will be hosting July’s Logan County Networking Meetup at our facilities.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Logan County Networking Meetups, they are a monthly meeting, 3rd Tuesday of the month, in which more than 50 local county professionals come together, share ideas and connect with others in the area.

There will be multiple events with in the Meetup including, participating in the “Search for Gold” scavenger hunt by visiting each of the Huntsville campus business locations for the chance to win several amazing prizes (including an authentic piece of real Duff Quarry gold!).

Other events include:

-Get your picture with one of the World’s Largest Caterpillar® Loaders – the 992G!

- See a live Demonstration How Concrete can SAVE a business or homeowner THOUSANDS of dollars when compared to Asphalt.

-Design a Maintenance Free Outdoor Deck Using the Newest Technology in Building Materials

All of this, more, plus great finger food and drinks! Look for the Meetup signs at friendly faces at Duff Companies located at 9016 St. Rt. 117 in Huntsville on Tuesday, July 20th from 5:30-7:30PM.

Please click for directions to our facilities: Google Business Listings

Hope to see you there

Duff Quarry is home to a small piece of Logan County history; two pieces in fact! Two arches stand in front of the Duff Quarry headquarters in Huntsville, Ohio. These arches have an interesting history dating back to the 1964 World’s Fair.

The 1964 World’s Fair was held in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, New York. Hailing itself as a “Universal and International” exposition the fair occupied nearly a square mile. Fifty-one million people attended the fair with exciting attractions of national and international origins. Some of the most notable attractions were the Unisphere, Museum of Masterpieces, and the Belgium Village (Where Belgium Waffles originated).

During the fair, General Foods built eleven arches scattered about the World’s Fair grounds that served as an information kiosk and as a rendezvous destination for fair goers. Unfortunately, after the Fair the company sold off or scrapped the arches with only a few known to still exist in the country. World’s Fair enthusiasts have found other original arches in West Hempstead, New York; Rocky Point, Rhode Island; and a few in New Jersey. While many never traveled far from home or were scrapped; two arches made their way to Russell’s Point, Ohio.

During the 1960’s, Indian Lake Playland Amusement Park brought the arches in by railroad with plans to eventually erect them at the park. However, the plans never came to fruition leaving the arches sit in the weeds for over twenty years. Over the years the arches fell into the hands of a restaurant owner in Russell’s Point; and there they continued to sit.

In 1990, Jim Duff, owner of Duff Quarry bought the structures from Anthony Guisliano, the owner at Pier 33, a restaurant in Russell’s Point. Finally in 1991 the arches were erected in front of the Duff Quarry headquarters in Huntsville, Ohio. It was quite a process to get them up, as Jim relates, “I had to use two 100 pound jacks and a bulldozer to straighten those two pieces, it was a lot of work”. They have been proudly standing ever since outside of the Duff Quarry headquarters. The next time you pass by the arches traveling on State Route 117 remember the hidden history they provide to Logan County.

Duff Quarry, Inc. is an Ohio provider of crushed stone, sand and gravel who has been leading the way in crushing technology, customer service and support for more than 50 years.