Oakland in Garrett County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Oakland, the B&O, and The Jones
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Imboden Raid
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), July 17, 2020
1. Oakland, the B&O, and the Jones/Imboden Raid Marker
In many ways the Town of Oakland owes its early development as one of Garrett County's largest towns and as the county seat to the arrival of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. In 1851 the railroad meandered through the Youghiogheny Glades on its way to Wheeling, Virginia and the Ohio River. The small community once known as "Slabtown" began in the late 1840's under the leadership of pioneer Isaac McCarty. He designed the plat for the original town near the location of the much earlier (1812) Yough Glades Post Office at the Armstrong Tavern. This tavern was a major stop on the mail route from Westernport to Morgantown and Clarksburg.
Once the railroad reached Oakland, the town and the area around it soon became an early mecca for people of the Baltimore/Washington corridor as well as points to the west. The Glades Hotel was Oakland's first railroad hotel, established in the early 1850's shortly after the arrival of the trains. This hotel was still in existence in April 1863 when the Jones/Imboden raiders passed through the town with the major objective of destroying the Youghiogheny railroad bridge just west of the town.
Erected by The
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Bridges & Viaducts • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O), the Maryland, Town of Oakland, and the Postal Mail and Philately series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1863.
Location. 39° 25.098′ N, 79° 25.062′ W. Marker is in Oakland, Maryland, in Garrett County. It is on West Liberty Street just south of Liberty Square Drive, on the left when traveling west. Marker is at the trailhead for the Fort Alice Trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 460 W Liberty St, Oakland MD 21550, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Baltimore Metro Region and in Western Maryland. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), July 17, 2020
2. Oakland, the B&O, and the Jones/Imboden Raid Marker
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A Tribute to Garrett County's Civil War Soldiers (here, next to this marker); The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and Garrett County (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Legislative Forest (approx. 0.3 miles away); Colonel Mulligan's Telegram (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Blockhouse (approx. 0.3 miles away); Little Youghiogheny River (approx. 0.3 miles away); Fort Alice (approx. 0.3 miles away); Tradition of Washington Spring (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oakland.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 13, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 450 times since then and 20 times this year. Last updated on July 23, 2024, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 18, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
