Coal Heritage Byway
The Narrows in Cumberland.
The Trail begins in the Cumberland Narrows, and it travels 54 miles through a region rich in history.
Immigrant laborers from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and other European nations, settled here as coal mines, railroads, brickyards, and commercial ventures thrived during the 19th Century. African-American miners also worked the deep mines of the George’s Creek region in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Following Route 36 north, the Coal Heritage trail includes the early industrial town of Mt. Savage, where the Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad (incorporated 1850) located its locomotive roundhouse and shops. Steam locomotives, passenger cars, and rolling stock were manufactured and repaired at the shops. The short line railroad provided daily passenger service to Cumberland and George’s Creek residents, but its primary cargo was coal that was transported to the C&O Canal in Cumberland.
Mt. Savage also has the distinction of being the location of the first “U” shaped iron rail rolled in the United States (1844). 500 tons of U rail were laid in 1844 from Mt. Savage to Cumberland.
The next stop along the Trail is the town of Frostburg, home to Frostburg State University. Frostburg was the commercial center of the George’s Creek mining region. The town’s past is well documented at the Frostburg Museum. A featured display is the coal mine exhibit, complete with a mine opening, tools and artifacts. Frostburg also serves as terminus of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, where the restored C&P Depot and turntable may be viewed. (Excerpt from Mountain Discoveries Magazine.)
Coal Heritage Byway
The Narrows in Cumberland.
The Trail begins in the Cumberland Narrows, and it travels 54 miles through a region rich in history.
Immigrant laborers from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and other European nations, settled here as coal mines, railroads, brickyards, and commercial ventures thrived during the 19th Century. African-American miners also worked the deep mines of the George’s Creek region in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Following Route 36 north, the Coal Heritage trail includes the early industrial town of Mt. Savage, where the Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad (incorporated 1850) located its locomotive roundhouse and shops. Steam locomotives, passenger cars, and rolling stock were manufactured and repaired at the shops. The short line railroad provided daily passenger service to Cumberland and George’s Creek residents, but its primary cargo was coal that was transported to the C&O Canal in Cumberland.
Mt. Savage also has the distinction of being the location of the first “U” shaped iron rail rolled in the United States (1844). 500 tons of U rail were laid in 1844 from Mt. Savage to Cumberland.
The next stop along the Trail is the town of Frostburg, home to Frostburg State University. Frostburg was the commercial center of the George’s Creek mining region. The town’s past is well documented at the Frostburg Museum. A featured display is the coal mine exhibit, complete with a mine opening, tools and artifacts. Frostburg also serves as terminus of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, where the restored C&P Depot and turntable may be viewed. (Excerpt from Mountain Discoveries Magazine.)
