GARRETT COUNTY
Transcribed by Denise Wells
Garrett, the last formed of the Maryland counties, is located in the extreme western portion [sic] the State. It contains an area of 680 square miles of territory, with a population (census of 1890) of 14,213, divided as follows: white, 14,030; colored, 183. The agricultural productions, according to the census of 1880, were corn, 90,777 bushels, from 3,714 acres; wheat, 44,399 bushels, from 4,122 acres; buckwheat, 72,333 bushels, from 4,989 acres; oats, 171,723 bushels, from 8,657 acres; rye 21,552 bushels, from 2,746 acres; tobacco, 1,927 pounds, from 4 acres.
The Great Savage mountain, better known as the backbone of the Alleganies, crosses the county from north to south. On the east side of the mountain is the Maryland coal basin, about one-third of which is in Garrett county. On the western side of the backbone, and lying between that and Meadow mountain, at an elevation of two thousand five hundred feet above tidewater, is a vast table-land, covering an area of four hundred square miles, one-third of which is glade land, and is unquestionably the finest portion of the State for grazing and stock raising. There is, perhaps, no county in the State which contains such valuable mineral deposits in coal and iron ore. Fire clay and limestone of a superior quality abound also.
The soil is a dark, rich loam, which is very productive, and readily yields 25 bushels of wheat, 40 bushels of oats, 40 to 60 bushels of corn, or 200 bushels of potatoes per acre, without fertilizers. The soil, which is naturally good, is easily improved, and a coat of lime acts lime a charm upon it. The country is sparsely settled, and there is, therefore, a great deal of uncultivated and unimproved land, much of which is for sale. Unimproved lands may be bought in large or small tracts, at prices ranging from three to ten dollars per acre, whilst improved farms command from ten to thirty dollars per acre.
Notwithstanding the natural productiveness of the soil and the numerous other advantages possessed by the early settlers, they paid very little attention to agriculture beyond the raising of a little buckwheat, oats, and a few potatoes. In later years, however, the forests are being cleared out, farms opened up, and a large number of the most intelligent and best citizens of the country are turning their attention to farming as a business, and are growing, in addition to the crops raise by their predecessors, large crops of wheat and corn, and in addition to these, wool, maple sugar and butter are produced in large quantities annually.
Facilities for reaching market are ample in all parts of the county. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad runs through the southern portion of the county, from east to west, for a distance of thirty miles. On the southeastern border runs the West Virginal Central and Pittsburg Railroad for a distance of thirty miles or more. On the east is the Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad, and the National turnpike road traverses the northern portion of the county for a distance of twenty miles. The northern part of the county has access to the Pittsburg and Connellsville Railroad, a branch of which runs to Salisbury, which is located very near the Maryland and Pennsylvania line. The large number of towns along the railroads, and especially those along George's creek, in the mining region, furnish good markets for nearly all the produce raised in the county. Improvements in labor-saving machinery and farming implements are keeping pace with the general advance all along the agricultural line, and nearly every farmer is provided with reapers, mowers and grain drills, as well as the latest improved plows, harrows and other utensils. Stock-raising is one of the leading industries, and the farmers and graziers are constantly introducing new breeds of animals for the purpose of improving their stock.
Being the highest section in the State, Garrett county is exceptionally healthy. Malarial diseases are unknown, and invalids, especially suffering from hay-fever, find the invigorating mountain air of great benefit. In the summer, many people from the larger cities, especially from the south and west, resort to the great health-giving resorts, Oakland and Deer Park, which are situated in this county, on the line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, to recuperate. The situation of these two resorts, 2500 feet above the sea, is most picturesque. Oakland is a thriving place and has a population of 1,046, an increase of 14.95 per cent. over the census of 1880.
Manufactures in Garrett do not amount to a great deal, and are limited to two or three woolen factories, about the same number of tanneries, and a few lumber mills, which turn out various kinds of lumber, shingles, laths, shooks, staves, &c. The future of this county probably lies in its capacity for agricultural products, and not in its prospect of becoming a manufacturing community. The time is not distant when this will be a great agricultural county. The amount of mercantile business done annually in the towns of the county would probably reach the sum of $200,000.
One of the most interesting features in this connection is the opportunity afforded to industrious and steady immigrants and farmers of small means to procure homes for themselves and families. The sparsely settled condition of the county, the large amount of unimproved land for sale, the productiveness of the soil, the facilities for reaching market, coupled with the advantages of climate, offer special advantages to settlers.
SOURCE: Scharf, J. Thomas, "The natural & industrial resources and advantages of Maryland: being a complete description of all counties of the state and the city of Baltimore: together with an accurate statement of their soil, climate, antiquities, raw and manufactured products, agricultural and horticultural products, textile fabrics, alimentary products, manufacturing industries, minerals and ores, mines and mining, native woods, means of transportation, price of land, cheap living, ready markets, excellent homes, and the material and social advantages and unequaled opportunities Maryland possesses for those seeking homes, and for capitalists who wish to invest in industries that are sure to pay big dividends," C.H. Baughman & Co., Publisher; © 1892. pps. 61-63.