[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 117 (Thursday, August 2, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S5969]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                          FROSTBURG, MARYLAND

 Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I wish to recognize the 200th 
anniversary of the city of Frostburg in western Maryland. Frostburg is 
located in the mountainous terrain of Alleghany County and sits on the 
eastern slope of Big Savage Mountain. Frostburg's first settlers 
arrived during the construction of the National Road in 1811; the first 
permanent residents settled there a year later, in 1812, which is the 
bicentennial we are observing September 14-16, 2012. The town was 
formally incorporated in 1816. It was originally called Mount Pleasant 
but the name was changed to Frostburg, after Josiah and Meshach Frost. 
Meshach Frost built the city's first house which later became home to 
the Stockton Stagecoach Company and prompted the construction of other 
hotels and accommodations for travelers on the National Road. This 
traffic along the road contributed to the growth of the town as it 
became a regular stopping point.
  Although coal had been discovered near the town as early as 1782, 
difficulties in transportation made mining in western Maryland 
impractical. But with the local development of the Baltimore & Ohio 
Railroad and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal in the 1840s, coal mining 
began to flourish, providing tremendous economic opportunities for 
Frostburg. In 1846, Meshach Frost opened the Frostburg Coal Company and 
began to send the first large shipments of coal to the east. Only 4 
years later, numerous other companies became active in the area, 
including the Allegany Coal Company, the Maryland Coal Company, and the 
Washington Coal Company. By 1863, the economy of Frostburg and the 
surrounding area was firmly tied to the increasingly profitable coal 
industry. Another industry to develop during this period was the 
manufacturing of fire bricks from high grade clays found in the area. 
In 1902, the Big Savage Fire Brick Company was formed and to this day 
is one of the major manufactures of fire bricks on the east coast.
  Frostburg State University, founded in 1898, was donated to the State 
by the citizens of Frostburg and was intended to train teachers for 
Maryland's public schools. The school grew slowly from an original 
enrollment of 91 students and has expanded to serve over 6,000 students 
today. The University has become a major economic engine for the 
community and a hub for academic and cultural activity.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Mayor W. Robert 
Flanigan and the residents of the city of Frostburg on its bicentennial 
birthday and 200 years of industry and ingenuity.

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