
Celebrating 150 Years in Garrett County, Maryland
The 150th Anniversary Committee is working with each of the eight Garrett County municipalities to showcase our beautiful area as it was “then” (in 1872) and “now” (in 2022).
We will celebrate our rich county heritage throughout all of 2022 at each of the municipalities’ annual celebrations. There will also be a special community celebration event at the Garrett County Fairgrounds planned for September 2022.
Official partners include Garrett Lakes Arts Festival, Ruth Enlow Library System, Garrett County Historical Society and the Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West Heritage Area.
(sunrise photo by @RoamingLarry)


About Garrett County
Garrett County is the westernmost county of the State of Maryland and named for John Work Garrett (1820–1884), then president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
Created from neighboring Allegany County, Maryland on December 4, 1872, it was the last Maryland county to be formed.
Garrett County lies in the Allegheny Mountains, which form the western flank of the Appalachian Mountain Range. Hoye-Crest, a summit along Backbone Mountain, is the highest point in Maryland.
The Eastern Continental Divide runs along portions of Backbone Mountain. The western part of the county, drained by the Youghiogheny River, is the only part of Maryland within the Mississippi River drainage basin. All other parts of the county are in the Chesapeake Bay basin.
The National Register of Historic Places lists 20 locations in Garrett County.
The County is governed by an elected Board of County Commissioners (the “Board”), whose three members serve four-year terms and must live in the District which they represent. The Board may exercise only such powers as are conferred by the General Assembly of Maryland.
The County is administered under a line organizational method, with the County Administrator responsible for the general administration of the County Government.