Barton Map
Barton 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 478 at the 2000 census.
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.
Nearby cities include Elk Garden, Swanton, Kitzmiller, Fort Ashby, Grantsville.