Author and historian Joe Manning, Florence, Mass., recently completed an online article that centered on the Blizzard family and the Garrett County mining town of Kempton, pictured below. George Blizzard was among the many employees of the Davis Coal and Coke Company, which began operations in 1914. The company built the mine and houses on a hillside above the Potomac, where most of the residents lived in single-family houses, with four to six rooms, an outdoor toilet, and a small lot, enough for a lawn in front and a small garden in back. Next to the company store was an arcade called the Opera House, with a lunchroom, bowling alleys, pool tables, dance floor, and auditorium. The streets were unpaved. By 1918, Kempton had 106 houses and a population of 850, which grew to around 2,000 by the time the mine suddenly closed in April 1950, causing the Garrett County commissioners to have the county declared a federal disaster area as some 250 miners were suddenly unemployed. Within a decade or so, the town all but disappeared. Pictured above are George and Lillie Blizzard, with children (from left) Mildred, Carl, Dorothy (front), and Nellie. Dorothy Blizzard Slaubaugh is still living today in Virginia, and an interview with her done by Manning in February is included in his feature. Many descendants of the Blizzards reside in Garrett County today. For the past seven years, Manning has been conducting a personal project to track down and interview descendants of some of the families photographed by the Farm Security Administration in the late 1930s and early 1940s. “In my career as a social worker, I became interested in child labor photos, and wanted to find out what ultimately happened to these children,” Manning said. “I began scanning the many photos available through the FSA and had a desire to turn these children and their families into more than just a photo; to find out about them and what became of them.” He has completed nearly 50 such articles over the past several years. Manning grew up in southern Maryland, but spent a lot of time in Garrett County. His father Joseph was a deputy secretary of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources under Governor Marvin Mandel and had a second home in Garrett County. Manning’s online article about Kempton and the Blizzard family can be found at http://www.eightsteeples.com/blizzard1.html.
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Jay Ferguson
Who I Am My name is Jay Ferguson, and I am a lifelong resident of the Deep Creek Lake area. I am also co-owner of the real estate side of Taylor Made. I have been in the real estate business for 21+ years now and I LOVE what I do! I have to say, my career really took off when I co-founded the real estate side of Taylor Made in 2014. Its been an amazing experience, building a real estate company from the ground up and achieving so much so quickly! In August 2016, we purchased Long & Foster Real Estate Deep Creek, where I had started my career in 2000. In 2018, we on-boarded virtually every agent from Coldwell Banker Deep Creek Realty as they closed up shop and the real estate family grew even more! We now have over 40 sales agents and have expanded to West Virginia and Pennsylvania, as well. Taylor Made is the #1 vacation rental company at Deep Creek with over 475 vacation rental homes, and over one hundred thousand yearly visitors. Its amazing what we have accomplished using the principles of honesty, teamwork and customer service! Personally, my wife Jessica and I enjoy traveling and especially spending time in the outdoors, hiking and exploring the many diverse areas that Garrett County is naturally blessed with. We have raised two wonderful children here, Kayleah (22) and Noah (13). In the summer, we love spending time on the water with friends & family and enjoying the lake life! We are both active in our church, our community & local school activities, and we fill our schedule with plenty of volunteer efforts. I currently serve on the board of directors for Habitat for Humanity. I am proud to say that I was named Deep Creek Time’s Favorite ‘Community Champion’ in 2019. I was also named Garrett County Realtor of the Year in 2018-19, as well. I really enjoy promoting my hometown. I am very proud of the resort area that has developed over my lifetime and look forward to growing the area even more! Deep Creek Lake has been described as ‘The Lake Tahoe of the east', and I think that speaks volumes about the potential to own property here! Deep Creek Lake isn't really a town or city by itself; it's comprised of three towns: Oakland, Swanton & McHenry, Maryland. I am very passionate about my hometown and am impressed with how many people know about it as we travel around the country. Deep Creek Lake is an amazing place to visit and even better place to live! During the pandemic in 2020, our market exploded and more and more people left their primary residence in the city to live here permanently. With distance learning in schools and tele-commuting becoming the ‘norm’, many more people were drawn to the area to ‘live where they love to play’. Why You Want Me Working for You: In addition to being an owner, I am consistently one of the top-producing agents in the entire area and the Associate Broker of record for Taylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations & Sales. I have 21+ years of experience and I am a problem solver. There aren’t many situations that I have not encountered and I have a strategy for almost every scenario that you may encounter. I have extensively trained in all areas of real estate & emerging technologies, and also have trained as an appraiser, as well as served as a full-time Broker. I have a strong knowledge of the industry, as well as many trusted local contacts & affiliations that allow me to perform at a very high level and deliver results. I have a great deal of respect for my peers in this industry and have strong working relationships that I would love to put to work for you. Call me to discuss your situation - I know I can be of great service to you & others you care about! Honesty. Integrity. Results. View all posts by Jay Ferguson
