Garrett County Courthouse is located at 203 South Fourth Street, Oakland MD 21550; phone: 301‑334‑8970.
TOWNS
Beginnings [1]
Garrett, the youngest of the counties of Maryland, was carved out of territory belonging to Allegany County in 1872. Its first election for county offices was held in January, 1873. John W. Garrett, then president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, for who the county was named, was instrumental in its establishment. It is the largest county in the state at approximately 660 square miles.
Garrett County [2] was split off from Allegany County in 1872. The County is named for John Work Garrett, one-time president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Garrett County has a rich history as Maryland's gateway to the west and as a vacation and resort destination. In the years after the Civil War, John Garrett promoted the area and its easy access by railroad. The first resort was Deer Park, which opened its hotel in 1873. The Oakland Hotel followed, and Mountain Lake Park and Loch Lynn Heights also developed as resort towns. These towns' resort heyday was the late 19th century when Presidents and Baltimore-Washington high society vacationed in the area. Deep Creek Lake, created in 1923, quickly became a resort, first for residents of the Pittsburgh region, and later for the Baltimore and Washington D.C. regions. With Deep Creek Lake, the Wisp Ski Resort, and numerous other recreational opportunities, Garrett County is sometimes referred to as "Maryland's mountaintop playground." Agriculture, timber, and coal mining are also important parts of the local economy, as well as historic and cultural traditions.
HISTORIC SITES