Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1910-08-06
The Best Mining Town in This
Country.
CUMBERLAND, MD, July ., I9IO
Editor Manufacturers Record.

most important city IN Allegany County,
Maryland. having a distinction of its
own, different from any city of the
South. and perhaps may be classed alone
among the cities of the country in the
particular characteristics to which |
shall presently refer.
To the stranger Frostburg's wonderful
growth is a mystery. Why a town To-
Gated on the top of the mountains at an
elevation of 1900 feet above the level of
the sea, with but two or three labor
employing industries and but one steam
railroad-ihe Cumberland and Pennsyl-
vania, passing through it, and nothing
visible to the naked eye i'll the way of
natural advantages should ever get be-
yund the knickerhockers of village. is
mystifying to the casual visitor. And
yet FroStburg is growing city, with
over 5000 people, whose civic pride is
worthy of commentator. They go
upon the principle that money spent for
Improvement of the town is money well
spent hence, its beautifully shaded and
paved streets; its splendid water works
system, supplying the city by gravity
with an abundance of the purest water
brought distance of nearly miles from
the mountains and held i'll storage i'll 3
reservoirs-oue of which, a concrete af
fair, with a capacity OF nearly million
gallons, has just been completed at
cost of $1,000, and a well-equipped fire
department.
The city is just now engaged in paving
West Union street at cost of $4,000.
Frostburg is well lighted by electricity
and natural gas. Its business houses are
in keeping with the thrift and progress
i've spirit of the town. Indeed, many of
these stores would be credit to larger
city Its churches and public schools
are beautiful and substantial structures.
Here is located the State Normal School,
No. 2, a handsome building with ample
grounds. The Hotel Gladstone, built
some years ago by the late William K.
Percy, is the finest hostelry i'll Western
Maryland. One of the boasts of Frost
burg is its pretty homes, with their we'll
kept lawns and flower-plotS. A hand
some Post Office Building, for which an
appropriation of $5O,ONO has been made,
will shortly be erected on the lot recent
ly purchased by the government for the
purpose On August LIST. next, the free
delivery system will be inaugurated. this
fact alone evidencing the Importance of
the town. The Cumberland and West
ernport Electric Railway, up-t"-date in
all its appointments, which runs into the
heart of the city. is a great tradedrawer
for Frostburg from the popul"u> towns
along George Greek. This road will be
extended in the near future to Salisbury
Pa, where it will connect with the troll
ley road now running to Meyersdale;
thence with the Johnstown and Altoona
system to Pittsburg. The extension of
the Western Maryland Railroad from
Cumberland to Connellsville Pa, now
in course OF construction. Will place
Frostburg on the main line of this road,
thus giving the city trunk-line advant-
ages and open up new contiguous ter
ritory and another outlet to tide water
for the coal of that immediate vicinity.
said in the beginning of this article
that Frostburg has distinction of its
own that places it in a class OF towns by
itself This distinction lies in the make
up of its population. Being mining
town the natural inference would be
that it is not different from other mining
towns, where coal-dust, car-grease, pig
stys and discordant citizenship pre-
dominate. But this is not SO of Frost
burg, for it is clean, orderly, well
governed municipality, requiring but
one day and two night-policrmen to pre-
serve the peace of its own population of
5000, to which may be added the visit
ing and shopping elements of 1000 from
the towns within radi"s of 2l5 miles.
making population within this area of
$1,000 people, with Frostburg as the
social and business centre.
The nationalities predominating in the
mining portion of this population are
English, Scotch, Welsh, German and
Irish. representing the best of the labor
in, huff inf nf
their respective countries. From these
nationalities came the pioneer miners of
Allegany County, their descendants be-
ing now among the prominent families
of the State, socially. professionally,
financially and commercially. and among
whom are such we'll known families as
the Percys, Shaws, Sloans, Somervilles,
Hitchins, Wilson's, Sherldins, Spiers.
McMullens, bookings, and many others.
These names are to be found among the
lawyers, doctors, ministers, bankers and
merchants of the State. Marriage, too,
has played it's part in the social evolu-
ton and elevation of these pioneer mi
ner's families of Allegany County, the
descendants of whom are to be found
linked III marital bonds to many proml-
nent native Maryland families and of
other States.
Frostburg has preserved to a marked
degree the splendid characteristics of
these pioneer coal-diggers and operators
in the thrift, enterprise and intelligence
of its present population, thus account
ing for its growth in spite of its lack of
factories and railroads.
To the prospective hOme-huilder, how
ever, Frostburg offered health, beautiful
scenery, good stores, fine churches and
schools and social advantages, SO that
the miner who had saved few thousand
dollars. desiring to build a home, pre-
ferred to build it i'll Frostburg rather
than at the mines where he worked,
s me three or four miles distant.
Another evidence OF the thrift and
economical propensities of the Allegany-
County miner which emphasizes the dis
tinction between the coal-miners of Ma
ryland and this class of laborers in other
sections of the country, is the fact that
at the close of business June 30 there
was ON deposit in the three banks of
FrOstburg | million $50 thousand $50
dollars subject TO check, the great bulk
of this sum representing the earnings of
miners.
On "pay. nights. which occur twice
a-month, hundreds of miners wives and
daughters-for the women attend to the
business affairs of the home, can be seen
making their deposits i'll these banks,
while the business streets of the town
present a veritable carnival of sturdy,
well-dressed men and pretty women
| Jolly, happy and good .natured.
On the main street "a handsome band