Barton, Maryland
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Barton is a town in Allegany County,
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
, United States, located along the
Georges Creek Valley Georges Creek Valley is located in Allegany County, Maryland along the Georges Creek (Potomac River), Georges Creek. The valley is rich in wide veins of coal, known historically as "The Big Vein." Coal was once extracted by deep Coal mining, mi ...
. It is part of the
Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area Cumberland, MD-WV MSA, or Cumberland Metro for short, is the micropolitan statistical area of Cumberland, Maryland, and the surrounding economic region of Allegany County, Maryland, and Mineral County, West Virginia, in the United States. As ...
. The population was 457 at the 2010 census.


History

The Reverend William Shaw, a
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
minister settled on the site of Barton in 1794. His son, William Shaw Jr. laid out the town in 1853, naming it for his father's hometown,
Barton-upon-Humber Barton-upon-Humber () or Barton is a town and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England. The population at the 2011 census was 11,066. It is situated on the south bank of the Humber Estuary at the southern end of the Humber Bridge. It is sou ...
, England. The discovery of
coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...
in the area attracted more settlers. They came from
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
,
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
and
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, eager to work in the mines. In 1853, the first shipment of coal was made on the newly built Georges Creek Railroad. Eventually, all the deep
coal mines Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...
had been abandoned and replaced by strip mines, several of which are still in operation and can be seen from the town. Today, most families in Barton are supported by other types of employment. The first
gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...
powered by a
water wheel A water wheel is a machine for converting the kinetic energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a large wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with numerous b ...
was built on Moores Run by Henry Ingram. It was about 200 to 300 ft. from the confluence of
Georges Creek Georges Creek may refer to: Places Australia *Georges Creek (Armidale Dumaresq), a tributary of the Macleay River in New South Wales In the United States * Maryland: **George's Creek, Maryland, unincorporated community in Allegany County **Georges ...
. The mill at Moores Run was owned and tended by Mathias Ball. Ball also owned and ran a
tannery Tanning, or hide tanning, is the process of treating skins and hides of animals to produce leather. A tannery is the place where the skins are processed. Historically, vegetable based tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound derived fr ...
at Butcher Run in Barton. The second gristmill was built at Mill Run south of Barton, it was called the Morrison Mill, and was owned by John Morrison. The Morrison Mill was located where Mill Run flows into Georges Creek. John Haymaker also tended the Hockenberry Mill before Hockenberry took over. The third mill was the Shaw Mill, built by the Shaw family. It was a large mill built of stone at
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
. It was torn down in the summer or fall of 1961. Major Barton-area coal companies in the 19th century: * American Coal Company, owner of the Swanton and Caledonia Mines. Their coal tipples were located right in Barton and the mines were located on the mountain on the west side of Barton. * Davis & Rieman Co. * Piedmont Coal & Iron Co., located up Temperance Row on the east side of the mountain. * Potomac Coal Co., located up Moore's Run. The first mine was located about ½ mile from Dogwood Flat and the No. 2 mine was about 1-1/4 mile up the run. Owned by the Union Mining Co. * Swanton Mining Co. * George's Creek Mining Co. * Barton Coal Mining Co., located at the top of Moores Run. The Barton Coal Company plane (or
cable railway A cable railway is a railway that uses a Wire rope, cable, rope or chain to haul trains. It is a specific type of cable transportation. The most common use for a cable railway is to move vehicles on a Grade (slope), steeply graded line that is t ...
) was built in 1854 and was engineered by O.D. Robbins. It remained in operation until March 21, 1898. The next week the tract, cables and mining equipment were removed. Along with the major mines, there were also many small family-owned mines on the family farms, which catered to the local coal trade. The Pickell Mine was located on the west side of Barton towards Moscow. Its tipple was not located in town. The Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad, successor to the Georges Creek Railroad, opened a
train station A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing suc ...
in Barton in 1889. The station was demolished in the mid-20th century. Today Barton has four churches and many volunteer groups. There is a lighted ball field, a playground, and two parks for use by citizens. Barton has survived floods and fires and still maintains its peaceful and congenial atmosphere. Each year the town celebrates itself with a Party in the Park. That get-together showcases crafts, food, entertainment, and a parade through the center of town. Shaw Mansion was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1985.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the town has a total area of , all land.


Nearby communities

#
Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...
# Lonaconing # Westernport #
Piedmont, West Virginia Piedmont is a town in Mineral County, West Virginia, United States. It is part of the Cumberland, MD- WV metropolitan statistical area. The population was 716 at the 2020 census. Piedmont was chartered in 1856 and the town is the subject of ...
#
Luke Luke may refer to: People and fictional characters * Luke (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Luke (surname), including a list of people with the name * Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luk ...
# Midland #
Keyser, West Virginia Keyser () is a city in and the county seat of Mineral County, West Virginia, Mineral County, West Virginia. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,853 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...
# Frostburg # Cresaptown-Bel Air


Transportation

The primary means of travel to and from Barton is by road. The only state highway directly serving the town is Maryland Route 935, which mostly follows Legislative Road through the middle of town. MD 935 is the old alignment of
Maryland Route 36 Maryland Route 36 (also known as MD 36 or Route 36) is a state highway located in Allegany County, Maryland, Allegany County, Maryland, United States. MD 36's southern terminus is at the West Virginia Route 46 (WV 46) bridge in W ...
, which now traverses a bypass on the town's east side. Both ends of MD 935 connect to MD 36, which extends northward to Frostburg and
Interstate 68 Interstate 68 (I-68) is a Interstate Highway in the U.S. states of West Virginia and Maryland, connecting Interstate 79, I-79 in Morgantown, West Virginia, east to Interstate 70, I-70 in Hancock, Maryland. I-68 is also Corridor E of ...
, and heads southward to Westernport.


Demographics


2010 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 457 people, 195 households, and 132 families residing in the town. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 225 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.0%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.2%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.4% Asian, and 1.3% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population. There were 195 households, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.3% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age in the town was 39.9 years. 20.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.2% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 17.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 51.0% male and 49.0% female.


2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 478 people, 200 households, and 142 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 233 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 99.58% White and 0.42% African American. There were 200 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.89. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $30,104, and the median income for a family was $33,333. Males had a median income of $29,844 versus $14,196 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the town was $14,453. About 13.1% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 32.7% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.


See also

*
Georges Creek Valley Georges Creek Valley is located in Allegany County, Maryland along the Georges Creek (Potomac River), Georges Creek. The valley is rich in wide veins of coal, known historically as "The Big Vein." Coal was once extracted by deep Coal mining, mi ...


References


External links


Barton, Allegany County, Store Ledger 1895-1897
from Western Maryland Public Libraries
Maryland Coal Mine Mapping Project
-
Frostburg State University Frostburg State University (FSU) is a public university in Frostburg, Maryland. The university is the only four-year institution of the University System of Maryland west of the Baltimore-Washington passageway in the state's Appalachian highlan ...

Barton-upon-Humber, England
{{authority control Coal towns in Maryland Towns in Maryland Towns in Allegany County, Maryland Georges Creek Valley Populated places in the Cumberland, MD-WV MSA Cumberland, MD-WV MSA