Maryland Mining Company

Maryland Mining Company

Company type	Private
Industry	Coal mining, iron manufacturing, railroad operations
Founded	1836
Defunct	1852
Fate	Acquired by Cumberland Coal & Iron Company
Headquarters	Eckhart Mines , United States
Area served	Allegany County, Maryland, United States

The Maryland Mining Company played a significant role in coal extraction, iron manufacturing, and railroad operations within Allegany County, Maryland, United States. Based in Eckhart Mines, Maryland, its Braddock Run location was among the pioneering bituminous coal mining sites in the Georges Creek Valley.

History

Industrial growth surged in the area, marked by the first pig iron produced at nearby Mount Savage, Maryland by the Maryland and New York Coal and Iron Company. Coal extraction at Eckhart Mines commenced following the discovery of "The Big Vein" in 1820. Initially, coal shipments relied on flatboats navigating the North Branch Potomac River. From 1846 to 1850, the company developed the Potomac Wharf Branch rail line starting from Wills Creek near Cumberland, extending their Eckhart Branch Railroad network.

In April 1852, ownership of Maryland Mining’s mines, railroad infrastructure, and the Eckhart village transferred to the Cumberland Coal & Iron Company, which had been chartered two years earlier in 1850.

After the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) reached Cumberland in 1842, local interests advocated for branch rail connections to serve Eckhart Mines’ coal deposits and Mount Savage’s ironworks. Despite initial reluctance from B&O due to financial and political reasons, the Maryland & New York Coal & Iron Co. secured a charter and constructed the Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad to link with—and potentially sell to—the B&O near the Cumberland Narrows.

By December 1844, the rail line to Mount Savage was operational; Maryland Mining’s Eckhart branch followed in May 1846. Although Mount Savage’s iron production waned over time, Eckhart’s coal mining remained lucrative. The C&P eventually integrated into B&O’s main route toward Connellsville, Pennsylvania, initially through trackage rights and later under lease beginning in 1903. Important junctions along this route included Eckhart Jct., located west of the Narrows, and Mt. Savage Jct., situated to the north.

Timeline of the railroad

• 1845 - The Mount Savage Coal & Iron Company, which later became Maryland & New York Coal and Iron Company, completes the Mount Savage Railroad connecting its furnaces to Cumberland.
• 1846 - Maryland Mining finishes construction of the Eckhart Railroad linking Eckhart Mines to Wills Creek (Eckhart Junction).
• 1850 - The Cumberland & Pennsylvania Railroad (C&P) is chartered; Eckhart Railroad extends the Potomac Wharf Branch into Cumberland.
• 1853 - The Georges Creek Coal & Iron Company establishes the Georges Creek Railroad between Lonaconing and Piedmont.
• 1863 - Following acquisition of Mount Savage Railroad, C&P takes over Georges Creek Railroad.
• 1870 - C&P incorporates Eckhart Railroad into its system.
• 1876 - Maryland and American Coal Companies initiate construction of George's Creek and Cumberland Railroad (GC&C).
• 1879 - Pennsylvania railroad in Maryland completes line running from Pennsylvania State Line to Cumberland.
• 1888 - Pennsylvania railroad in Maryland merges with GC&C.
• 1907 - Western Maryland Railroad gains control of GC&C under George Jay Gould I; fully merges it by 1917.
• 1939 - GC&C line west of Eckhart Junction is abandoned.
• 1944 - Western Maryland Railroad acquires C&P.
• 1953 - Formal merger of C&P into Western Maryland takes place.
• 1982 - Abandonment of State Line Branch occurs.

These railroads were originally established by iron and coal companies during the early 1840s with anticipation of linking to both the B&O Railroad and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal at Cumberland. Some operated their own locomotives and rolling stock, while others employed early equipment from B&O. By 1870, these lines had largely consolidated under the Cumberland & Pennsylvania Railroad before eventual absorption by Western Maryland Railway.

References

• Tom Robertson, Frostburg, Arcadia Publishing, 2002
• Deane Mellander, Rails to the Big Vein: The Short Lines of Allegany County, Maryland, Potomac Chapter, NRHS, Inc., January 1981
• Deane Mellander, Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad, Carstens Publishers, Inc., Newton, NJ, 1981
• Patrick H. Stakem, Eckhart Mines, the National Road, and the Eckhart Railroad, 2011