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Frostburg
Maryland owes
its beginnings to the National Road, authorized by Congress in
1806. About 1811, Josiah Frost, laid off building lots along the
road calling them Mt. Pleasant.
As trade began to
flow over the new road, the town began to grow and prosper.
Josiah's brother, Meshach Frost built a house in 1812 which he
rented a few years later to the Stockton Stagecoach Company.
Together they named it Highland Hall, and it soon became a
famous stopping place for East-West travelers and catered to
both celebrities and laborers using the National Road. |
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Over the years,
Frostburg became a regular stopping
point for travelers. The growth of the town took place in a slow
but steady fashion. Since there was already one Mount Pleasant in
Maryland, the name of the town was changed to "Frostburg" by the
federal government when a post office was established here in 1820. |
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Coal was discovered near the town as
early as 1782. However, mining was a relatively small
operation until the completion of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad to Cumberland in 1842, and the Cumberland and
Pennsylvania Railroad to Frostburg in 1852.
By 1850, the
Borden Mining Company, the Allegany Coal Company, the Maryland
Coal Company, and Washington County Coal Company were all active
in the area. In 1863, the last stage traveled over the National
Road; the economy of Frostburg was now firmly tied to coal
mining. It was during the height of the coal mining period,
between 1870 and 1915, that Frostburg developed most of its
major institutions.
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A major factor in Frostburg's economy
was the growth of the State College. Originally legislated as
State Normal School #2 in 1898, the facility was intended to train
teachers for the public schools of the State. The site for the
school was donated to the state by the citizens of Frostburg,
since the General Assembly provided no funds for land. The college
was named a University in 1988.
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Today, Frostburg is home to
approximately 8,000 year round residents.
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