Former Lorraine iron-ore mine at Crusnes whose surviving masonry headframe of puits no 2 is the last stone headframe standing in the Lorraine iron-ore field.
The Mine d'Errouville was a shaft-sunk iron-ore mine of the northern Lorraine minette basin, located at Crusnes in the Meurthe-et-Moselle. The concession of Errouville was granted on 18 November 1895 to the Société Lorraine Industrielle and passed on 21 September 1903 to the Société des Mines d'Errouville, held two-thirds by the Société des Aciéries Réunies de Burbach-Eich-Dudelange (ARBED) and one-third by the de Wendel interests. Three shafts were sunk between 1909 and 1912, two at Crusnes and one at Errouville; production began in 1912.
After the First World War the mine expanded rapidly, employing around 900 workers by the 1920s, when electrification of the underground haulage was introduced. In 1940 the surface headframes of puits 1 and 2 were dynamited to impede German access, and the workings flooded. The mine was rebuilt after liberation and continued in production.
In 1970 ARBED acquired full ownership. Extraction ceased in July 1973. Of the surface infrastructure, only the masonry structure of puits no 2 — the oldest of the shafts and used for personnel and materials — survives intact; puits 1 and its metal headframe were demolished.
The stone headframe of puits 2 is the sole surviving masonry headframe in the Lorraine iron-ore field.
The concession of Errouville was granted by decree on 18 November 1895 to the Société Lorraine Industrielle, covering the territory of what would become the iron-ore mine at Crusnes in the Meurthe-et-Moselle. On 21 September 1903 the property was transferred to the Société des Mines d'Errouville, a company held two-thirds by the Société des Aciéries Réunies de Burbach-Eich-Dudelange (ARBED) and one-third by the de Wendel industrial interests.
Three shafts were sunk between 1909 and 1912: puits II was sunk and equipped between 1910 and 1912, puits I was sunk and equipped for extraction between 1912 and 1913, and puits III was sunk between 1951 and 1952 at Errouville (serving only for ventilation, drainage, and electrical supply). The first ore berline was raised in 1912. The two puits at Crusnes were surmounted by headframes supporting hoisting machinery; puits I was devoted to ore extraction and puits II to the transport of personnel and materials.
After the First World War, the restitution of Lorraine to France opened new markets and the Société des Mines d'Errouville expanded its operations. From 1926 a programme of modernisation was undertaken, leading to the progressive electrification of underground haulage. By this period around 900 miners were employed in the workings. An underground connection was made with the iron-ore handling network of the Société des Terres Rouges, providing a link to the steelworks at Esch-Belval in Luxembourg.
In 1940, at the outbreak of the Second World War, the mine's management decided to dynamite the headframes of puits 1 and 2 and the electrical sub-station to prevent the German forces from using the underground galleries to advance on Crusnes. The destruction of these structures also caused the flooding of the workings. The miners still present when hostilities broke out were transferred to the mines of Aumetz, Boulange, Rochonvillers and Bazailles.
After liberation, the mine was rebuilt and extraction resumed progressively. In 1950 the mine underwent modernisation and full mechanisation. Between 1951 and 1952 puits III was sunk at Errouville for ventilation and service purposes. In 1972 the ore reception at puits I was automated. On 4 August 1970 ARBED acquired full ownership of the Société des Mines d'Errouville, having previously held two-thirds.
Extraction at the Mine d'Errouville ceased in July 1973. The mine was formally closed. At the time of closure the mine employed approximately 1,100 workers, of whom the majority were Polish and Italian by origin.
Following closure, puits I with its metal headframe was demolished entirely. The masonry structure of puits II has survived intact. It is the only surviving stone headframe in the Lorraine iron-ore field. On the former carreau de fosse, the reinforced-concrete mineral accumulator structures (silos in which extracted ore was stored before despatch) remained visible for some years; a building on the site was occupied by the industrial firm Welsch. The former mining housing estate (Crusnes-Cités) and its landmark prefabricated iron église Sainte-Barbe (opened 1939) remain. The classified monuments historiques notice for the mine records a concession instituted in 1897, two shafts sunk in 1909, and cessation in July 1974.
