–Not graded

History · Barton

Barton’s post office opened in 1853, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Shaw Mansion. Below: maps from 1899 on and the census since 1880.

1853first post office

1on the National Register

33%homes built before 1940

Add an old photo Share a memory

Quick answers

How Barton began

When was Barton founded?

1853

The Barton post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1900.

First census: 1,112 in 18802020 census: 464173 years

Founding year: the first Barton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1900.The full story ↓

What stands out about Barton’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Barton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18995 editions of the USGS map, 1899 to 1981. Watch Barton change.Old housesHalf of Barton’s homes were built before 1958.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Barton’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

On the map

Barton on the map, 1899 to 1981

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Barton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

1899Grantsville sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Barton.

The story

How Barton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Barton.

Read it all →

The Reverend William Shaw, a Methodist minister settled on the site of Barton in 1794. His son, William Shaw Jr. laid out the town in 1853, naming it for his father's hometown, Barton-upon-Humber, England.

The discovery of coal in the area attracted more settlers. They came from Scotland, Ireland and Germany, eager to work in the mines. In 1853, the first shipment of coal was made on the newly built Georges Creek Railroad. Eventually, all the deep coal mines had been abandoned and replaced by strip mines, several of which are still in operation and can be seen from the town. Today, most families in Barton are supported by other types of employment.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Barton, decade by decade

Today1 recent

2016-06-18 16 11 01 View west across Barton, Allegany County, Maryland from Maryland State Route 36 (Georges Creek Road)

20162016-06-18 16 11 01 View west across Barton, Allegany…

Every building

Barton, building by building, 1921

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Barton fire insurance map, 1921, sheet 1

1921Sheet 1 of 4

Sheets

+3 more at the Library of Congress

BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Barton

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed

National Historic Landmarks

none yet

historic buildings protected

each building in a district counts

first listed

1985

Shaw Mansion

Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Italianate1

Shaw MansionItalianate

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Barton, census by census

Between 457 and 1,112 people in every census since 1880.

12 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Barton’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Barton

Nobody well known was born in Barton itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →

Henry Louis Gates, Jr.American literary critic, professor and histori… · b. 1950

Don RedmanAmerican musician · b. 1900

Lenore KightAmerican swimmer, Olympic silver medalist · b. 1911

Lefty GroveAmerican baseball player · b. 1900

J. Glenn BeallPolitician and United States Army soldier · b. 1894

Binger HermannAmerican politician · b. 1843

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

MoscowIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Barton’s history

What year was Barton founded?

The Barton post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1900.

What is on the National Register in Barton?

One place: the Shaw Mansion (listed 1985).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →

Start a conversation

Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

Post to Barton

Check your email