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| Garrett County History | ||
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Garrett Becomes A Maryland County |
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The same sentiment existed 1870 in Garrett County that caused the Colonial citizens to shout,
"No taxation without representation!" in 1776"
When the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad came through the couty's are in 1851, the people of the area began to take a different look at the natural resources. The railroads arrival meant access to East Coast markets and eventually to nationwide markets. Towns grew and citizens became more prosperous, and with the new prosperity came questions about "taxation and representation" (as well as "appropriations") to Cumberland, the Allegany County seat of government. Many prominent citizens could see beyond Cumberland to Annapolis and the fact that men form Cumberland dominated in the Maryland Legislature as representatives of Western Maryland. Local grumbling about lack of representation resembled the cry of 1776. Around 1870, a movement to form a new county becam active under the leadership of Judge Patrick Hammill and Col. J.M. Schley. They wanted to see it separated from Allegany County, and include all the land west of Big Savage Mountain. They formed a committee in 1871 and presented a petition to the Maryland General Assembly for the division of Allegany to form a new county; two possible names for the proposed county were, "Glades and Garrett." Once more, as in 1776, printed matter helped to solidify public opinion. In August, 1871, E.S. Zevely of Oakland began the publication of a weekly newspaper called, The Glades Star. He selected "Work For The New County" as a slogan for his paper. Among other things in his editorials, he pointed out the fact that residents of the Districts of Allegany County to be included in proposed new county paid $28,000.00 in taxes under the existing Allegany County tax levy, but received less tha $19,000.00 per year in appropriations. Of course, Zevely's weekly editorials stirred protest in the Cumberland area, and the Cumberland News once printed a terse statement saying, "It is like jumping grom the frying pan into the fire, and we think the mountaineers had better stay in the pan." Early in 1872, the Maryland General Assembly aproved an act providing for a public vote to determine popular support in the area of the proposed new county; date for the voting was set for November 4, 1872. During the summer and early fall of 1872 a vigorous campaign was conducted for the formation of a new county. On election day, 1,297 votes were cast in favor of the new county and 405 against; "Garrett" was chosen as the name and Oakland as the seat of government. Some of the quotes in this article are from "Garrett County History" by Stephen Schlosnagle, 1978. |
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