Probably the earliest written records of Deep Creek we have
Meshach Browning was an early backwoodsman, hunter and explorer of the watersheds of the North Branch Potomac and the Youghiogheny rivers. His memoir is called Forty-Four Years of the Life of a Hunter (1859), and he has been celebrated as Maryland�s most...
There was considerable interest in extending the C&O Canal past Cumberland to eventually connect to the Ohio River
F.G. Skinner�s �Reminiscences of an Old Sportsman�
Born in 1835 to Mary Brant, age 20, and Benjamin Tasker, age 38, in Garrett County, MD, Hiram P. Tasker became one of the most conspicuous and interesting citizens of the area around the turn of the 20th Century. He has been described by one source as...
In 1874 Gus Delawder, a prominent local citizen, became the County�s first Fish Commissioner
In 1892, R. T. Browning - grandson of Meshach Browning - became Fish Commissioner.
On March 22, 1922, preliminary surveys began in Garrett County on the waterpower possibilities of the Youghiogheny River.
The first restaurant on Deep Creek was The Inn at the Lakeside Park. Built in 1925 by Pop and Mom Railey, it was a five-bedroom Dutch Colonial and was their home along with the five children they had at the time. Mom and the older children ran the Inn and...
Frank Corliss was the chief surveyor during the time the lake was being built (1923-1925). His work included surveying the complete lake area, establishing the area to be flooded, clearing the lake, establishing the buffer strip and setting monuments to...
One of the most recognized names around Deep Creek Lake is the Raileys. Railey Realty and Railey Vacation Rental immediately come to mind. Many have had the pleasure of knowing family members Jimmy, Nancy, Jim, and Sis, Bob and Vava and their involvement...
Generally at the site of today's Uno's. the Rainbow Inn had rooms, meals and sandwiches and was one of the first estalnbishments on the lake
In 1923 Troop 1 of Oakland MD received its charter sponsored by the Cumberland Troop. W.W. Dawson, T. J. Altsteller and F.E. Rathhbun made up the troop Committee and James P. Adams was the Scoutmaster.
About 20 owners of property along the waters of Deep Creek Lake met at the Rainbow Inn, according to an arciel from the April 9th, 1928 edition of The Republican Newspaper. Sanitation, building restrictions, electricity and boating regulations were discussed
featured boat races and a beauty pageant reportedly drew over 6,000 spectators
In 1929 a parcel containing .60 of an acre (deed 100/178) including a barn was conveyed back to John O. Thayer from the original acquisition of land for the flodding of the lake. After the lake was flooded, John Philips (Pip) Thayer, the grandson of John...
In 1930, the Holy Cross College of Washington DC purchased 36 acres of property on Deep Creek Lake with the purpose of establishing a summer camp for seminarians. Holy Cross Camp was located to the southeast off today’s Boy Scout Road.
It began on Aug 12, 1930, when Matt Sr. and wife Velma purchased 7.75 acres with 1,358.5 feet of lake front from Charles and Helen Bar of Brownsville, Pennsylvania. This is when Storey�s Bar was built along old Rt. 219 close to where the Mountain View...
At the corner of Turkey Neck Road and Rt. 135 is where Herman O. Schmidt and Marie (Steiding) Schmidt opened this store in May of 1930. The store was run by Marie and she sold groceries and Pennzoil gasoline along with other items found in a convenience...
Pop Railey built the Stone Tavern across the highway from the Inn and that became THE place on the lake. Mom and the children ran the restaurant and bar, and they sold groceries, gasoline, rented rooms and had a pay phone
On the property where the Arrowhead Condominiums are located today, the Clarksburg Area Council, of the Boy Scouts of America purchased 3.6 acres for its scout camp. This was in January of 1932 and owned by the Council until November 1946 when the...
Earl and Edna Glotfelty owned the property from 1937. In 1940 it was sold to Perry and Lena Glotfelty who established a two bay-garage and service station. They also sold several items such as bread and milk. Their main business was mechanic work and...
Beginning in the mid-1930�s, like-minded sailing enthusiasts formed sailing clubs,
One of the local night spots was beside the State Road was Cabin Lodge, located where the Creamery is located today. It was constructed in 1939 with chestnut logs. It was a single story L-shaped building consisting of a large room with tables and chairs...
Begun in 1941 by World War I veteran Ogilvie Halsey (1890-1970), who was born and raised in Manhatten, New York City. He was married to Blanche Jane (Green) Halsey (born in Swanton, Maryland in 1897 and died in 1985) and they raised a daughter and five...
Pennsylvania Electric Company purchases the lake and power plant from Youghiogheny Hydro-electric Company
When the Eastern Land Corp. purchased the land for the lake, they purchased complete tracks of land from the owners. In doing so they ended up with approximately 8,000 acres of excess land. Approximately 3,500 acres of this land was around the lake, some...
In September 1946 Albert Einstein spent two weeks at Deep Creek Lake. Why would Einstein come to Deep Creek? He came for two reasons. First, over the public�s connecting him to the atomic bomb, caused extreme stress and a need to get away and relax. The...
In the late 1940�s and 50�s Skeeter and Mary Bowman had a general store and post office in McHenry where the current post office is today.
Skeeter was the only child of Hubert Mace and Dorla Alice (Glotfelty) Bowman. Skeeter was raised on his parent�s farm in McHenry, where he tended the herd and bottled milk and cream. He helped his mother deliver milk and cottage cheese to the few cottages...
Johnny�s Bait House was the central location on the lake for all visitors. This all began when Johnny�s parents Dave and Grace moved from Confluence, Pennsylvania, to Garrettt County in the early 1950�s. In his teens, Johnny set up a simple stand with a...
At the Luke Mill of West Virginia Pulp and Paper Mill (New Page and now Verso paper mill) Noel was known for his ingenious U.S. Government Patents in the paper industry. Some were to control the brightness and the thickness of the paper and several are...
In 1926 Garrett County had a very interesting and colorful sheriff. Bill rode around the county on his motorcycle. He was almost like a cowboy he collected memorabilia from early American frontier days. He had guns, lots of turquoise, Indian head arrow...
At the corner of North Glade Road and Rt. 495 stands a store on a residential lot which is grandfathered for commercial use. Through the years it has had several owners, names and products to sell. It was built 1950 by Curt Miller and family as a...
In 1951 Francis and Laura Kelly purchased a small parcel along Rt. 219 at the south end of Fox Den Road. The lot was across the road from the lake, had very little space for parking but did have a boat dock. They operated Kelly�s Store until 1972 when it...
It all began in the 1930�s when Helmuth was a young boy and came to Deep Creek with his parents for a visit. The family loved the new lake and in 1943 his father bought the Will O� the Wisp cabins along Rt. 219, from Thurl Bullard, who built the first 23...
Wisp got its’ start in the Winter of 1955-56 as Ace Heise built a makeshift ski area in a cow pasture on Marsh Mountain. That opening season featured a one-room lodge and the ski rental shop was from a pickup truck. A rope tow served just one slope.
The very first Garrett County Fair was held in 1917 in the Naylor Building on Third Street in Oakland on the lot between that building and Center Street.
In the early 50�s there were already six marinas on Deep Creek Lake. This is where the story of Billy Sisler begins. Born at home on October 6, 1936, located in White Rock near Friendsville, Billy grew up on the family farm. He attended grade school in...
Sandy designed the Thistle, the Highlander and the Flying Scot sailboats. He was the five times North American Champion in the 10 Square Meter International Sailing Canoe, five times the United States national champion in the Thistle, and seven times...
Deep Creek Lodege was at the location of Ski Harbor Townhomes but in the beginning it was just a beautiful spot with gentle slopes into the water. It was originally purchased from Youghiogheny Hydro-Electric by Frank Page in 1928 and with the construction...
At the site of today's Pawn Run Saloon, in 1958 Albert Tasker and his wife Edna Blanche Tasker purchased the ground from Kenneth A. Layman and his wife Virginia A. Layman. The tavern was already on the property prior to the transfer and was called...
Condemnation by the State of Maryland Commission of Forests and Parks (Liber 252/347 as found in the land records of Garrett County) On November 19, 1963, records the transfer of 50 acres of land through an act of condemnation. This area was known as Military Lot No
Troy the builder built approximately 342 homes, most of which were vacation homes on the lake. Troy lived in Pleasant Valley just south of Oakland and along with his father farmed some of the most beautiful land in Garrett County. In 1959 he bought a lake...
From around 1959, the property where Uno's is today wasa resturant named Glen Haven, then the Pizza Pub, featuring pizze, beer and music
The Cellar Door was located on Deep Creek Drive between the Deep Creek Bridge and the Point View Restaurant. As the name implies it was originally in the lower level of a home owned by Bill and Sandy Stuart who sold hoagies and other light food. Later...
The Point View Inn is truly one of Deep Creek�s most treasured memories for several reasons. Of all the restaurants on the lake, Point View had the best view. Many realtors took their customers to the Inn for lunch and to enjoy the view. Jim Railey Sr....
Walter W. and Alma Wachter purchased Glotfelty's Garage (across the road from the current McHenry Post Office) and thus began Walt�s General Store. Half of the store was hardware and the other half groceries. They sold about everything. They put in...
Aza Stanton was often referred to as Garrett County�s artist in residence. Aza was born in Cumberland, raised in Grantsville and educated at the Maryland Institute of Art. In 1961 he and Louise were married in Honolulu ,Hawaii and then returned to Garrett...
At Will O� the Wisp in 1964 the Ace and Evelyn Heise opened the Four Seasons Dining Room. Their son Martin after returning from Cornell with a major in hospitality management was given roles in the restaurant.