ALLEGANY MINES / ZIHLMAN, MD
There were two mining companies at Allegany Mines.
Allegany Mining Co. opened the Allegany Mine just north of Frostburg way back
in 1846. The company town began to take shape circa 1850. Allegany Mining Co. continued
to mine coal here through the Civil War; through the great industrial expansion of
America in the late 1800's; and right into the 20th Century, before going out of business
in 1911. Shortly thereafter the Consolidation Coal Co. purchased the mine and coal camp
at Allegany Mines.
The other coal company at Allegany Mines was the Borden Mining Co. (who also owned
Borden Shaft mine and town south of Frostburg). Borden constructed housing
for their mining families beginning in the 1850's, and retained ownership of
their company houses at Allegany Mines all the way to 1951.
Allegany Mines, MD is sometimes known as Zihlman.
2018 image by author
These company houses, originally built
by the Borden Mining Co., were originally two-family duplexes. Most have been converted
into single family dwellings by now.
2018 image by author
A row of coal camp homes.
Feb. 1981 image by David Dorsey, Maryland State Archives
Here is a photo of a few company houses from
a section of Allegany Mines named "Dutch Row." These coal camp homes could possibly date back
as far as the 1850's.