Heritage Trail workshop set at silk mill

Provided as a community service by the Cumberland Times-News, Cumberland, Maryland, United States of America Quick Links: [ Regional News Index ] [ CTN Home Page ] [ Contacting Us ] Tuesday, May 30, 2000Heritage Trail workshop set at silk mill LAURA H. VOGELTimes-News Staff Writer LONACONING -- Mike Lewis, the most recent patron saint of the Lonaconing Silk Mill, is taking another step toward his vision of a heritage Mecca anchored in Lonaconing. He has planned a two-day conference Friday and Saturday, called Coal Heritage Trail Community Workshop, designed to bring together key players from the local, state and national levels for the purposes of pooling resources and discussing the multifaceted future of the mill. Lewis, a member of the Georges Creek Promotion Council, believes that the silk mill will one day serve as the focal point for the Route 36 corridor. "We have such a strong national history here," he said. "We want to develop that. The Coal Heritage Trail is just the first leg of that initiative." The Coal Heritage Trail is a proposed scenic corridor that would incorporate much of the history of Western Maryland, focusing on Route 36. "People tend to forget that we were the westward expansion," said Lewis. He said that when immigrants came over to Ellis Island they were told to go to Lonaconing for work. "As far as I know, what I've been told, is that we have the last remaining intact silk mill in the world," he said. "We have national and international history right here in our own back yard." The workshop will take place in Lonaconing. There will be visits to the silk mill as well as the armory and Dan's Mountain State Park. ewis hopes to create an umbrella organization of networking to pull from when it is time to leverage resources. With all of the past efforts of preserving the silk mill, he said, this one has the most promise for a future. "We have been preparing for years how to couch the silk mill in this broader context," he said. "Other efforts have focused entirely on the silk mill itself, but I truly believe that it is just a platform to develop the Coal Heritage Trail. We have got a lot of support for the next three to five years to make this happen, from people who have made this happen in other areas." The weekend workshop will be kicked off with words from Speaker of the House Casper Taylor Jr. and close with a public presentation called "Achieving our Goals" which will outline the work that will be done in the break-out sessions as well as solidifying an action plan. The keynote speaker of the weekend is Doug Faris, superintendent of the C&O Canal. "I truly believe that in five years people will travel to Mountain Maryland and ask us 'How did you do that? How did you become this successful?' " said Lewis. "All things are possible, but first you have to dream them." Lewis invites all historical groups along the proposed corridor from both Garrett and Allegany counties to attend. Anyone interested in attending the conference, acquiring an agenda or learning more about Lewis' objectives can call Lewis at (301) 463-6772. Quick Links: [ Regional News Index ] [ CTN Home Page ] [ Contacting Us ] [ Top ] Copyright © 2000 Cumberland Times-News