Maryland's National Register Properties



Photo credit: Don Cook, 12/23/2002
Frostburg Historic District
Inventory No.: AL-VII-A-043
Date Listed: 9/8/1983
Location: Frostburg, Allegany County
Category: District
Period/Date of Construction: 19th and 20th centuries
Resources: 79 (68 contributing, 0 non-contributing)
Description: Frostburg Historic District comprises 356 resources within the city of Frostburg. Main Street, the old National Road (U.S. Route 40), runs through the town from east to west, forming the main axis of the district. A collection of early-20th century commercial buildings, primarily of brick construction, two or three stories tall, lines Main Street at the center of the district. Areas of mixed commercial and residential use extend south from Main Street. West and south of the commercial area stand houses with a generally high level of architectural elaboration, reflecting the influence of mid- to late-19th and early-20th century architectural styles, including Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival. Residences north of the central commercial core reflect the initial development of the town through several mid-19th century vernacular houses of log or heavy timber construction, with later 19th and 20th century infill housing completing the streetscapes. Depot Street contains several reminders of Frostburg's importance as a center of transportation and industry in the latter half of the 19th century, including a c. 1867 iron foundry, 1880s Queen Anne railroad depot, and a mid-19th century railroad tunnel. East Main Street, east of the commercial core, boasts several of Frostburg's earliest residences, exemplifying Greek Revival characteristics, and the Greek Revival/Italianate transition. Further east are late-19th and early-20th century residential areas composed of vernacular "I-houses" and dwellings showing the influence of the Queen Anne, Bungalow, and "Foursquare" trends of the turn of the 20th century. Several Gothic-influenced church buildings, dating from the last third of the 19th through the turn of the 20th century, also contribute to the character of the district. Significance: This district is significant for its cohesive collection of mid- to late-19th and early-20th century domestic, commercial, and industrial buildings which collectively reflect the town's development and importance as the center of the George's Creek coal mining region. A wide variety of resources contribute to the district, exemplifying the many phases and aspects of Frostburg's growth and prominence. Houses within the district represent the succession of architectural fashions from the mid-19th through early 20th centuries, and their varying levels of elaboration reflect the economic pluralism which characterized the town throughout the period. The district derives additional significance from its association with the development of the coal industry in Western Maryland; this industry was first established in the George's Creek Valley in the 1830s and, despite considerable decline from the boom levels of the turn of the 20th century, continues to figure prominently in the economy of the region.

District Resources (79) (68 contributing, 0 non-contributing)

From associated listing in National Register nomination form. C = Contributing, NC = non-contributing, blank = not evaluated.

AddressStatusResource Name and MIHP (if any)
31 Beall's LaneCHouse
40 Beall's LaneCBungalow
Bowery StreetCSavage Mt. Firebrick Works
20, 22, and 24 BroadwayCBrick Commercial Building
26 BroadwayCTemple-form House
37 BroadwayCStore
52 BroadwayCSt. John's Episcopal Church
69 BroadwayCAL-VII-A-025 -- Hamill Mansion (Pritchard House, Hamill Cottage)
Depot StreetCMiners' Hospital
Depot StreetCThomas H. Paul and Sons Iron Works Foundry
19 Depot StreetCAL-VII-A-036 -- Cumberland and Pennsylvania (C & P) Railroad Tunnel Depot
20 Depot StreetCAL-VII-A-032 -- Cumberland and Pennsylvania (C & P) Railroad Depot Hotel (Wright Residence)
24 Depot StreetCFrame House
26 Depot StreetCFrame House
42 Depot StreetCHouse
46 Depot StreetCHouse
Depot Street and Bowery StreetCAL-VII-A-035 -- Cumberland and Pennsylvania (C & P) Railroad Tunne
end of Beall's Lane (42 Beall's Lane?)CBrick House
First Alley behind 44 East Main StreetCAL-VII-A-043-1 -- St. Michaels Parish Hall
30 Frost AvenueCHouse
36 Frost AvenueCFrame Building
38 Frost AvenueCHouse
56 Frost AvenueCAL-VII-A-002 -- Frost Mansion (John J. Hafer Funeral Home, Frost Homestead)
64 Frost AvenueCHouse
78 Frost AvenueCHouse
91 Frost AvenueCBrick Building
Intersection of Depot Street and Water StreetCHouse
33 E. Main StreetCAL-VII-A-046 -- Frostburg Palace Theatre
39 W. Main StreetCFrame House
43 W. Main StreetCBrick House
49 W. Main StreetCAL-VII-A-020 -- Beall's House (Jenkins' House)
53 W. Main StreetCFrame House
55 W. Main StreetCFrame House
66 W. Main StreetCThe Hitchens House
68 W. Main StreetCHouse
73 W. Main StreetCHouse
74 E. Main StreetCCommercial Building
75 W. Main StreetCHouse
79 W. Main StreetCHouse
92 W. Main StreetCHouse
109-111 E. Main StreetCStore
113 E. Main StreetCCommercial Building
177 E. Main StreetCAL-VII-A-010 -- McCulloh House (Reed House)
177-179 E. Main StreetCTemple-form House
214 E. Main StreetCFrame House
263 E. Main StreetCRed Brick Bungalow
265 E. Main StreetCRed Brick Foursquare
270 E. Main StreetCHouse
273 E. Main StreetCStuccoed Bungalow
275 E. Main StreetCHouse
278 E. Main StreetCFrame Bungalow
126 E. Main Street (MD 36, A40)CAL-VII-A-004 -- Elks Home (Clark-McCulloh House, or Clarke)
11 W. Main Street (US 40)CAL-VII-A-016 -- Gladstone Hotel (Gunter Hotel, Failinger's Hotel Gunter)
22, 24, 26, E. Main Street (US 40)CAL-VII-A-015 -- Old Opera House (Lyric Building)
34 W. Main Street (US 40)CAL-VII-A-017 -- St. Paul's Lutheran Church
37 W. Main Street (US 40)CAL-VII-A-042 -- Frostburg Post Office (U.S. Post Office)
44 E. Main Street (US 40)CAL-VII-A-014 -- St. Michaels Rectory
48 E. Main Street (US 40)CAL-VII-A-013 -- St. Michaels Church
48 W. Main Street (US 40)CAL-VII-A-018 -- Frostburg (United) Methodist Church
144 E. Main Street (US 40)CAL-VII-A-005 -- Hocking House (Greek Revival/Italianate House)
156 E. Main Street (US 40)CAL-VII-A-009 -- Shaffer House (Skidmore House)
171 E. Main Street (US 40)CAL-VII-A-006 -- Reese Mansion (Reese House)
6 Standish StreetCAL-VII-A-034 -- Standish House
52, 54, 56, and 58 Tarn TerraceCHouses
35 Uhl StreetCAL-VII-A-012 -- Arion Band Hall
45 S. Water Street (on the west side of Water Street between Orman Street and Frost Avenue)CBrick House
51 S. Water Street (on the west side of Water Street between Orman Street and Frost Avenue)CBrick House
Water Street at the corner of West Mechanic StreetCGarage
27-29 Broadway AL-VII-A-026 -- Presbyterian Church
61-63 Broadway AL-VII-A-022 -- Ritter and Watts Inn (Rowe Apartments)
formerly Bowery Street A.J. Willison's Steam Planing Mill & Sash Factory
formerly located at 1 E. Main Street Mr. Beall's Franklin House
37 Frost Avenue AL-VII-A-023 -- Kern's Boarding School (Townsend House)
45 W. Main Street AL-VII-A-019 -- Hitchin's House (Jenkins' House)
69 W. Main Street AL-VII-A-001 -- Two and a Half Story Brick House
150 E. Main Street AL-VII-A-011 -- Horchler House (Queen Anne's Style House)
162 E. Main Street (US 40) AL-VII-A-008 -- Zion Evangelical Reform Church
16 Maple Street AL-VII-A-028 -- Old Livery Stable (Hamman's Auto Supply)
22 South Water Street AL-VII-A-041 -- Station #1