Lonaconing, Maryland
town in Maryland, United States
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. As of the 2020 census, Lonaconing had a population of 1,001.
History
The first non-Native American settlers in the late 18th century were explorers, hunters and farmers. Surnames of some of the first settlers were Dye, Duckworth, Green, Grindle, Fazenbaker, Grove, VanBuskirk, Knapp, and Miller. The first stone house, built in 1790, in Knapps Meadow, just north of Lonaconing, was owned by Samuel VanBuskirk. The house still stands and is a private residence as of 2016. [1] The Lonaconing Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Lonaconing is the birthplace of Bishop John Gardner Murray (1857–1929), and Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Robert Moses ("Lefty") Grove (1900–1975). John Gardner Murray was the sixteenth presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, and the first elected to the position rather than succeeding to it automatically as the oldest bishop when his predecessor died.
The public source identifies “Lonaconing, Maryland” as town in Maryland, United States. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Lonaconing, Maryland and town.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Lonaconing, Maryland”, the useful work is to connect “town in Maryland, United States” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q755146. VIAF identifies the subject as 133722418. The Library of Congress control number is n82231415. Authority coordinates are 39.565, -78.979. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 1790, 2016 and 1983.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Lonaconing, Maryland”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Lonaconing, Maryland primary sources, Lonaconing, Maryland archive and Lonaconing research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Lonaconing, Maryland”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Lonaconing, Maryland” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.