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Westernport, MD

Westernport, Maryland
Town
Downtown looking east on Church St in January 2014
Downtown looking east on Church St in January 2014
Location of Westernport, Maryland
Location of Westernport, Maryland
Coordinates: 39°29′12″N 79°2′36″W / 39.48667°N 79.04333°W / 39.48667; -79.04333Coordinates: 39°29′12″N 79°2′36″W / 39.48667°N 79.04333°W / 39.48667; -79.04333
Country United States
State Maryland
County Allegany
Settled 1758
Incorporated 1859
Government
 • Mayor Daniel Laffey
 • Water Commissioner Tom Martin
Area
 • Total 0.89 sq mi (2.31 km2)
 • Land 0.87 sq mi (2.25 km2)
 • Water 0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2)
Elevation 922 ft (281 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 1,888
 • Estimate (2016) 1,796
 • Density 2,100/sq mi (820/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 21540, 21562
Area code(s) 301
FIPS code 24-82750
GNIS feature ID 0591532

Westernport is a town in Allegany County, Maryland, United States, along the Georges Creek Valley. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,888 at the 2010 census.

Westernport's first settlement is identified on a French military map dating from 1758. The map is currently on display at École Militaire in Paris. The settlement at that time had no name. By 1774, it was known as Hardscrabble because the rocky soil made planting difficult. Some time in the mid-1790s, the name was changed to Westernport, with the town being the western-most navigable port on the Potomac River. In the late 18th century and early to mid part of the 19th century, coal and timber was loaded onto flatboats where George's Creek empties into the Potomac, then floated down to near Great Falls, Virginia, where the goods were unloaded, the boats broken up to sell as lumber, and the operators walking back to Westernport. The town was incorporated in 1859.

In 1886–87 the Piedmont and Cumberland Railway was built through Westernport, connecting the town to Cumberland, Maryland.

The Waverly Street Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The Meyer Site was listed in 1973.

Westernport is located at 39°29′12″N 79°2′36″W / 39.48667°N 79.04333°W / 39.48667; -79.04333 (39.486671, -79.043417).


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