Discover Lonaconing

Lonaconing can be explored through three distinct historical connections: the Lonaconing Iron Furnace, the Lonaconing Historic District, and the route of the Mountain Maryland Scenic Byways through the town. This distinction makes a practical difference when planning your trip: the Furnace represents a specific step in iron production, the District showcases the architectural diversity of the 19th and 20th centuries, and the route connects the town to MD 36. You can choose the focus of your trip based on the topic that interests you most.

Lonaconing Iron Furnace: Iron Production and Use

The Lonaconing Iron Furnace was built in 1837. It was the first facility in the United States to successfully use coal and coke instead of charcoal to produce pig iron. Its historical significance therefore goes beyond its date: the change in fuel also makes the facility a distinctive testament to iron production. The year 1837 places the facility in its historical context; the comparison of fuels makes its special role in the production process clear.

Another aspect is how the Furnace was used: it was used to make dowels for the lock walls of the C&O Canal. Alongside the question of how pig iron was produced, this highlights a specific purpose. This use links the facility to a clearly identified component of the lock walls and adds a practical dimension to the picture of the ironworks. For historical context, two questions can therefore be considered separately: what made the process noteworthy, and what was the Furnace used for?

Lonaconing Historic District: 19th- and 20th-Century Architecture

The Lonaconing Historic District includes 278 buildings and structures. Its significance lies in the great variety of architectural styles from the 19th and 20th centuries. The distinction between a single Furnace and the District is important in terms of content, too: this is not just about the history of a production process, but about the architectural variety of a larger collection of buildings. This variety reflects Lonaconing’s growth and prosperity as a center of Maryland’s expanding coal and iron industry. In this way, the District connects the town’s built environment with its industrial development, rather than treating architectural and economic history as separate topics.

Lonaconing Along the Scenic Byways Route

The Mountain Maryland Scenic Byways route follows MD 36 through Lonaconing. This connection to the road adds a question of geographic context to the two historical perspectives: the town’s history concerns the Furnace and the District, while the byway route identifies Lonaconing as part of the route. When planning your trip, you can consider this connection as a separate point of orientation alongside the historical topics.

Three Perspectives for Planning Your Trip

For planning your trip, these connections represent different scales: the Furnace offers insight into a process and its use, the Historic District connects architecture with the town’s development, and the Scenic Byways place Lonaconing in the context of a route along MD 36. If you are deciding which aspect you want to shape the focus of your trip, this distinction can help: production history, architectural context, and route are three different ways to explore Lonaconing.

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View the main travel overview: Garrett County.