The following excerpt is from The Glades Star - the periodical published by the The Garrett County Historical Society in Volume 5, Number 32. Please take time to see their new museum location in the Professional Building, 3rd Street, Oakland.

The first train reached what is now Oakland in 1851. Two years earlier, the B&O had laid out streets and 64 lots for a town, suggesting that the town be called McCarty's Mills, to honor a local resident Isaac McCarty. At the time, the area was referred to as "Slab Town" because of a saw mill there, and it had traditionally been called "Yough Glades." The one name wasn't impressive, the other was neither pronounceable nor spellable by the unitiated.

Despite the wishes of the railroad, Mr. McCarty, with what someone called "his typical modesty" declined the honor and proposed giving the privilege of naming the town to his daughter Ingaba. She suggested "Oakland", a rather obvious choice, but we may be glad that she shared her father's modesty. Otherwise, we might be living in Ingabaville or even Ingababurgh.

In any event, when the first engineers arrived in the community, Mr. McCarty arranged for them to have a room in his house, on what is now Water Street. He may, in fact, have added a room especially for them.

We are not sure how long the McCarty House served the B&O. It was something of a community center, for it also housed the Post Office and the First Methodist Sunday School, and was the site of the First Mass held in Oakland. When the McCartys moved to Iowa in the late 1850's it was a loss to the community, although McCartys may have found Iowa quieter.

We could not find B&O references to a station in Oakland during the 1850's, although local histories mention that one was built in 1851 and the Post Office moved into it in 1854, when the same "Oakland" became official. In 1856 telegraph service between Washington and Wheeling with an office in Oakland was established, possibly at that station.

The Glades Hotel was built just south of the railroad in 1858, and a sketch of it includes a water tower and a building presumed to be the station. The hotel was so close to the railroad that travelers could get meals there during a twenty-minute layover.

Jones Raid in April 1863 destroyed a railroad bridge in Oakland and interrupted telegraph service, but did not, apparently injure the station.

However, in 1874, the original Glades Hotel burned down and with it the station, The hotel was rebuilt close to the earlier site.

The next year, the B&O built the Oakland Hotel, across the river on land including the present Terra Alta Road.

We could find nothing in the Annual Reports about what replaced the station burned in 1874. It seems improbable that the luxurious Oakland Hotel would be served by a three-sided shelter, but it is not until the Stockholders' Report of 1884 that there is mention of the start of construction of the new Oakland Station.

At this point in the tale of Oakland Terminal it becomes more helpful to leave the Annual Reports and turn to The Republican Newspaper:

April 12, 1884 - "The old depot building at Oakland has been taken down and the material removed to Mr. Weber's garden farm near Oakland where it will be used for construction of hot houses. When will we get our new depot building?"

This is so detailed that it seems convincing, but a story written in 1958 states that the early station was moved to Altamont. That seems less likely. Webers did build their first greenhouse in 1884, and Altamont is thought to have had just a three sided shelter.

Returning to The Republican, we quote:

June 21, 1884 - "It is said the new depot building in Oakland will be erected at once."

June 28, 1884 - "Work was commenced on the new depot this week at Oakland."

August 30, 1884 - "The foundation of the new depot at Oakland will be completed next week."

January 17, 1885 - "The new depot at Oakland is completed with the exception of plastering which will probably not be done until spring. A large force of carpenters are now engaged in laying of new platforms."

April 4, 1885 - "The finishing touches are being put on the new depot in Oakland."

June 13, 1885 - "The new depot will be ready next week."

There are no further news items about the station, so we assume that it was completed in June 1885, although several year later a few feet were amputated from the west end to improve the view from the hotel porch.

The station's architect was Francis Baldwin, who designed many B&O stations. No two were alike, but he favored a Queen Anne style, described as made from a kit of medieval and classical parts...enriched , enporched, encolumned....An eclectic extravaganza of delight." (From the Architecture Book by Norval White)