Published: May 31, 2009 11:19 pm      

Students find themselves linked to town’s history

Mount Savage more than just place to stop between Cumberland and Frostburg

MOUNT SAVAGE — Twins Brandon and Austin Hutzell figured Friday’s walking tour of historic Mount Savage would be interesting.

Yet they, and their fellow fourth-grade classmates from Mount Savage Elementary School had no idea how eye-opening the experience would turn out to be.

And after visiting the historic bank and, just down the road, the jail, Brandon saw the last name, “Hutzel,” on a Mount Savage map dating back generations while inside the Union Mining Co. headquarters on Foundry Row.

“Oh my gosh! Almost everybody knows my dad,” Brandon exclaimed. “We’re famous.”

Well, not quite. But the family did play a role in the operations of the local judicial process and held a sizable piece of the area’s farmland.

Becky Korns, secretary for the Mount Savage Historical Society that sponsored the tour, said there’s a lot of history in the town and is more than just a place for one to pass through on en route to Frostburg or Cumberland. Mount Savage’s history and expertise, particularly in the iron rail and brick industry, “helped build the whole country,” Korns told attentive students as they waited their turn to visit the restored First National Bank of Mount Savage.

The Hutzell twins weren’t the only ties to history from the group of nearly 40 students. Fourth-grade teachers Carolyn Crump and Samantha Mongrain both are direct descendants of unique Mount Savage characters.

Crump is the granddaughter of Idella Pressman, who was well into her 80s before retiring from the Union Mining Co. as office manager. It’s been reported that Pressman not only ran the office but the company as well. Once, when company officials were having difficulty with union workers, an angry mob of the latter stood outside in a threatening manner.

The boss was afraid to leave the building. Pressman took charge.

“Follow me,” she said.

She proceeded to grab her umbrella and threatened to hit any union worker over the head with it if they made trouble.

Mongrain is the granddaughter of Wilbur Paul, who is chairing a committee to restore and make accessible to the public a historic iron furnace. An area near where the ruins lie is dedicated to Paul’s efforts.

The walking field trip was enjoyed by about 40 students and nearly half as many adults. Allen Blank, historical society treasurer, said it’s common that adults who are interested in history don’t have time to invest in such things as they raise their own children. Once they’re grown, however, those same adults “remember they’re interested” and rekindle their quest to tie themselves to history, Blank said.

That’s exactly the type of people the Mount Savage Historical Society wants to serve, Blank said.

People of all ages can explore that interest and view more than 600 photos from Friday’s walking tour online at www.mountsavagehistoricalsociety.org.

There rarely is time enough to enjoy the history lessons of today. Cora Carter, a tour guide and society vice president, talked of the hopes of restoring the town’s St. Patrick’s School building. It seemed salvageable, she said, except for flooring that had once been oiled and needed to be replaced.

“My heart ached when they tore it down (in 2001),” Carter said.

Contact Kevin Spradlin at kspradlin@times-news.com. A parent of a fourth-grade student, he served as one of nearly 20 chaperones during the tour.