The Big Vein

Georges Creek Valley is located in Allegany County, Maryland along the Georges Creek. The valley is rich in wide veins of coal, known historically as "The Big Vein." Coal was once extracted by deep mines but is only mined today through surface mining. The Georges Creek Valley was once a major center for the US coal industry.

Lonaconing Furnace, also known as The George's Creek Coal and Iron Company Furnace No. 1, is a historic iron furnace in Lonaconing, Allegany County, Maryland, United States. It is a truncated square pyramid constructed of sandstone, 50 feet (15 m) high, 50 feet square at the base, and 25 feet square at the top. It first produced iron in 1839, then the iron operation was abandoned in the mid-1850s, the Loncaconing Furnace complex included a top house, molding house, engine house, and two hot-air furnaces for heating the blast. None of these ancillary structures remains. It played a significant role in demonstrating that both coke and raw bituminous coal could be used as fuels in the manufacture of iron. It is known as "the first coke furnace, whose operation was successful, erected in this country."Lonaconing Furnace was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

The Lonaconing Historic District is a national historic district in Lonaconing, Allegany County, Maryland. It comprises 278 buildings and structures consisting of a variety of 19th and early-20th century commercial, industrial, and residential buildings. These structures identify with the development of Lonaconing as a center of the iron, coal, and silk industries in the George's Creek Valley of Western Maryland. It includes a group of 40 late-19th and early-20th century brick or frame commercial structures, including a hotel, bank, three dry goods stores, and numerous other shops and warehouses, mostly constructed after a fire which devastated downtown in 1881.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Lonaconing is a town in Allegany County, Maryland, United States, located along the Georges Creek Valley. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,214 at the 2010 census.

Detmold 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 71.Detmold is in western Allegany County along Maryland Route 36, which leads north 9 miles (14 km) to Frostburg and 7 miles (11 km) south to Westernport. The town is in the valley of Georges Creek between two high ridges: Big Savage Mountain to the northwest, and Dans Mountain to the southeast. The town is named for Christian Edward Detmold of Lonaconing Iron Furnace fame. It is south of Lonaconing, along Route 36. It had a population of 71 in 2010.

Dans Mountain State Park is a public recreation area located nine miles (14 km) south of Frostburg and to the east of the town of Lonaconing in Allegany County, Maryland. The state park occupies 482 acres (195 ha) on 16-mile-long (26 km) Dans Mountain and is managed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Nikep (originally known as Pekin) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Allegany County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 95. Nikep is located in the Georges Creek Valley of western Allegany County, along the old route of Maryland Route 36. Lonaconing is 1.6 miles (2.6 km) to the northeast, and Westernport is 6.6 miles (10.6 km) to the southwest. The name Nikep was given to the first post office established in the community, because Pekin was already in use at another post office (Pekin, Indiana).

Gilmore 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 127. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. Gilmore lies in the valley of Georges Creek, a tributary of the North Branch Potomac River, between Dans Mountain to the southeast and Big Savage Mountain to the northwest. Maryland Route 36 runs north–south through the community. Midland is directly to the north, and Lonaconing is 2 miles (3 km) to the southwest.

Midland 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 446 at the 2010 census. Midland was founded in 1850 as a coal-mining community, though today only some strip mining remains.

Klondike 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 118.It is located in western Allegany County, 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Frostburg, at the foot of Big Savage Mountain.It is built at the site of the Klondike Mine, The Consolidation Coal Company's Mine No. 17.

Ocean 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 32.Ocean is located in the Georges Creek Valley of western Allegany County, along Maryland Route 936. Frostburg is 4 miles (6 km) to the north, and Lonaconing is 4 miles (6 km) to the southwest.

Woodland 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 113. It is located 4 miles (6 km) south of Frostburg and just east of the community called Klondike. Woodland started as a coal town sometime around the beginning of the 20th century. Many years ago, the town had a community church and a convenience store. Both buildings have since been converted into residences.