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History · National

National’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of National. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

National is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Allegany County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 56. National is located in the Georges Creek Valley of western Allegany County along Maryland Route 936, 4 miles (6 km) south of Frostburg.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 56 to 52 (-7%). Half of its homes were built before 1969.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of National yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

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Start National’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how National’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from NationalWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in National.Meet them →
By decade

National, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
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National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in National is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean National has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Hocking House in Frostburg, 3.1 miles away.

National and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = National. Tap a dot.
Hocking HouseFrostburg Historic DistrictLonaconing FurnaceLonaconing Historic DistrictBorden Mines Superintendent's HouseLa Vale Tollgate House

Closest to National

Hocking HouseFrostburg · Building3.1miFrostburg Historic DistrictFrostburg · District3.2miLonaconing FurnaceLonaconing · Structure3.5miLonaconing Historic DistrictLonaconing · District3.6miBorden Mines Superintendent's HouseZihlman · Building3.8mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Hocking House’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in National?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to National’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Midland📜 Frostburg📜 Lonaconing📜 Barton
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Where to, neighbor?

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01
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