A Bit of History - The Fireside

A Bit of History - The Fireside (HM2OU)

Location: Oakland, MD 21550 Garrett County
Buy Maryland State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 39° 24.496', W 79° 24.5'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 889 views
Inscription
The large stone fireplace that now stands like a sentinel along the railroad tracks is a solitary reminder of Oakland's colorful hey-day. In the late 1800's the area from here to the B&O station was a virtual beehive of activity. With twelve passenger trains arriving daily, the numerous hotels and establishments along Second Street and the now extinct Railroad Street were alive with throngs of people from east and west. One such establishment on Railroad Street was J.J. Raynold's Caf? and Saloon. Unfortunately, the saloon was the origin of a huge fire that occurred in the wee hours of June 12, 1898, a fire that ultimately consumed every building between the railroad crossing and the present historical society museum. With the promise of prosperous days ahead, the industrious merchants soon built bigger and better establishments. J.J. Reynolds' advertisements of May, 1899 boasted a new billiards room and "private drinking parlors upstairs for those wishing privacy and those wishing pure whiskey for medicinal purposes."

In 1939 the caf? and saloon were converted into a restaurant, owned by Andrew "Andy" Gonder and his wife Harriet. Andy spent many months constructing a huge fireplace on the railroad end of the building. When finished it was believed to be the largest fireplace in Maryland, and henceforth the establishment was referred to as "The Fireside." The stone projections on the upper portion of the fireplace once supported two massive hand-hewn beams, 27 feet long, that spanned the ceiling of the restaurant. The walls consisted of half-round wormy chestnut logs that gave the establishment a rustic and cozy atmosphere. Another fire in 1994 weakened the historic structure, and it was subsequently razed in 2003. The fireplace is a lonesome survivor of those bye-gone days.
Details
HM NumberHM2OU
Series This marker is part of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) series
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, October 4th, 2014 at 8:01pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17S E 637033 N 4363292
Decimal Degrees39.40826667, -79.40833333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 39° 24.496', W 79° 24.5'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds39° 24' 29.76" N, 79° 24' 30.00" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)301, 240
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 208 S 2nd St, Oakland MD 21550, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What historical period does the marker represent?
  2. What historical place does the marker represent?
  3. What type of marker is it?
  4. What class is the marker?
  5. What style is the marker?
  6. Does the marker have a number?
  7. What year was the marker erected?
  8. Who or what organization placed the marker?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?