Tucked in the Casselman River Valley in the shadow of Mt.
Davis, Pennsylvania's highest point, Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, has long
held a tradition of attracting visitors from far and wide.
Today, it is the Allegheny Highlands Trail, a 50-mile hiking and biking
trail that is part of the Great Allegheny Passage, that draws visitors from
across the country and throughout the world to take in the scenic vistas
offered up by the former Western Maryland Railway. The railroad's expansive
structures located east and west of the town evoke memories of days when
steam built the nation. Coal was shipped on the Western Maryland and the
Baltimore & Ohio from the rich veins of nearby Shaw Mines, which is
still mined today.
Farmers came to town to ship their goods from the two train stations,
traveling salesmen stayed in its five hotels, and the community roared
through the 1920's known as a "Saturday Night" town.
Coal, railroading, and agriculture shaped the community that has been
the home of the Pennsylvania Maple Festival for more than 50 years, celebrating
the rich heritage of a land that was first known to be occupied by the
Monongahela Indians who captured the sweet water from maple trees to make
maple sugar.
Although the Western Maryland is silent except for the voices of trail
users exploring the hillsides and valleys of the Alleghenies, trains still
rumble through the town on CSX tracks, carrying commerce of the nation
from the Midwest to Baltimore on the former B&O.
With lots laid out in 1844, Meyersdale was officially founded in 1874,
bringing together Meyers Mill and Dale City.
Meyersdale, PA
