Our History
In 1881, more than 200 acres of land at the town's present site was purchased by Major J. Coleman Alderson of Wheeling, West Virginia. He was an officer in the Confederate Army during the Civil War and was also one of the founders of Mountain Lake Park. He farmed the land for 13 years.
​Railroad crossing (present site of Loch Lynn Restaurant and Christian Crossing Thrift Shop) with hotel in the background
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The railroad brought many people to Garret County from cities like Pittsburgh, Wheeling, Baltimore, and Washington D.C. to enjoy the mountain scenery and fresh air. Mountain Home Company was organized to lay out Mtn. Lake Park’s sister town. J. Frank Burley, an engineer from Moundsville, WV, and his father, James Burley, laid out the Town with 50 and 60-foot-wide streets, and a plot of 40 town blocks was recorded on August 9, 1849. Lake View Land and Banking Company later purchased the G.P. White farm and the Simon Baker farm. Loch Lynn Heights now has 205.4 acres within its town limits.
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Around 1895 Lake View was renamed Loch Lynn Heights. It is said the new name was given by Mrs. Coleman Alderson, who was a descendant of the House of Stewart, after the name of Stuart’s Scottish estate. One can recognize the Scottish influence in the street names such as Bonnie, Argyle and Dundee, as well as Native American influence in streets named Seneca, Roanoke, Shenandoah, Tuscawalla, etc.
Mountain Lake Park and Loch Lynn Heights were both home to large resort hotels and cottages, but the two neighboring towns would soon become quite different. Mountain Lake Park was established as a religious community, whereas Loch Lynn Heights permitted a more “loose” lifestyle – hence the saying, “If you want to sin, go to Loch Lynn. For Jesus’ sake, go to Mountain Lake.”
Loch Lynn Hotel
The luxurious Loch Lynn Hotel was built in 1894 and opened in June, 1895. Features of the hotel: Maple flooring, elegant ballroom, billiard room, rotundas, parlors, dining rooms--all these on the first floor. A laundry engine at the back of the hotel forced water from the well into a large reservoir fifty feet high for the hotel and surrounding cottages.
The hotel was located on an elevated site giving a fine view of Mountain Lake Park from its observatory. It had 100 chambers plus apartments for a modern first class hotel that could accommodate 200 guests. The former Mountain Lake supplied ice for the hotel and town. A large ice house was built to store the ice for home use and for sale.
On September 19, 1918 a fire totally destroyed the hotel. Fortunately, there was no loss of life. Only the hotel owner and her daughter were there and escaped unharmed. The hotel had just finished it's summer season and was empty of guests.
The Casino
Adjacent to the hotel stood this building containing a gambling casino, heated swimming pool, bowling alley, card rooms and billiard tables. It was torn down in 1989.
The Pea Cannery
The Pea Cannery in Loch Lynn Heights was a source of income for area farmers and local workers, many of which were Loch Lynn residents, for more than 25 years. The first peas were processed in 1920, with 31 acres harvested.
The Mt. Airy Canning Company then built a canning factory, complete with its own electric generating plant, where peas were threshed, shelled, cleaned, blanched, and then sealed in metal cans and processed with steam. In 1924 almost 30,000 cases of canned peas were shipped. The machinery could process 600 cans per hour. In 1935, 375 farmers grew peas on more than 1,000 acres, and in 1938 about 180,000 cases were shipped.
Also, in the 1930’s, the plant began canning corn. In 1942 the company contracted with farmers to plant 850 acres of peas, 750 acres of corn and 200 acres of string beans. Most of the cannery was destroyed by fire in February of 1945. Only the viner’s shed remains today.
The property was purchased by the H-P Stores in 1952 for construction of their office and warehouse - now occupied by Mustang, LLC. The railroad can be seen in the background in the photo, as well as the Grange Milling Supply building which served the farmers of the area.
Loch Lynn Elementary School
​In the early 1890's the town's first elementary school was built at the corner of Seneca Avenue and Tuscawalla Street.
It is now a residence.
A two-room structure was opened on Roanoke Avenue in 1925. Two new classrooms were built in 1936, and a cafeteria/auditorium in 1959.
This is the school as it looked when it closed in 1998. The Board of Education deeded the building to the town, and it was rented out for a time. The building was demolished in 2013.
Other Historic Photos
