On April 24, Mark Tennant and I drove to Oakland, MD for a scheduled Civil War living history. We were to meet up with some other reenactors at the gazebo by the train station, however, to our dismay, we learned that there had been a glitch and the event had been cancelled, but no one had called us. While this was disappointing, we took the opportunity to examine some of the attractions of Oakland. First of all there are a number of antique shops around the area and we set about checking out one of those. After making a few small purchases, we started back home when we noticed that the Garrett County Historical Society Museum down the street was open. So, we decided to stop for a look.
We were pleasantly surprised. The museum is clean and well-maintained. Although small, it boasts a number of quality exhibits which mostly reflect local history in terms of what has happened in this area or to the residents of the area. Each room in the museum has it’s own particular theme. There are some wonderful B&O railroad exhibits including a model engine which was exhibited at the 1893 World’s Fair. An adjoining room showcases items of interest from local hotels. The Victorian Room and the Cabin are set up as actual rooms from their time periods.
However, for me the main attraction was the military room which features as it’s centerpiece a beautiful brass Gatling Gun which was built for the US Navy in 1901. The room is also chock full of artifacts from American conflicts from the Civil War up to Desert Storm.
Our visit to the museum was a bit brief and we could have stayed a bit longer, but it was quite enjoyable and unexpected. It wasn’t what we were expecting, but it was worth the drive. If you are in the Oakland area, you should check this one out. It is definitely worth the quarter to park.
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