Campus News
November 11th, 2025
Nichols takes JCLS on historic energy tour
JCLS presenter talks wood, water, fossil, and renewable fuels
Presenter Chris Nichols
Wood, water, and a whole array of fossil fuels powered present-day Garrett County from the 1700s through the 1900s, with renewable energy bridging the 20th and 21st centuries. Chris Nichols covered them all in last Wednesday night’s aptly named Joan Crawford Lecture Series presentation, Energy Resources of Garrett County: A History of (Almost) All-of-the-Above.
"Wood was pretty much the only extraction energy until about 1850 when coal mines started up on an appreciable scale," noted Nichols, a senior energy market analyst with Australia-based Energy Exemplar. Between wood and coal, however, water became a valuable energy source due to two regional characteristics: plentiful rainfall and dramatic elevation changes.
"There was lots of flowing water in the area that became Garrett County," said Nichols, noting water power led to the development of saw mills and grist mills throughout the region. And that led to even more efficient steam mills.
"People could build a wood fire under a big metal container to create steam, which would drive whatever process you’re talking about," explained Nichols.
While coal production started in the mid-19th century, it dramatically expanded in the late 1800s and peaked in the early 1900s.
"Maryland’s first coal mine law was enacted in 1876, which led to the start of recording data from the coal mines," said Nichols, noting two mines were listed in Garrett County as of 1876. "Peak coal production in Maryland – which was really in Garrett and Allegany counties – was in 1906."
That same year – 1906 – was also the year the Garrett State Forest was established.
"That was really the first example of a conscious decision of these resources being protected, and processes enacted to make sure they were extracted in a responsible way," said Nichols, adding that the first century of timbering in Garrett County left only 25,000 acres untouched.
While water was an efficient energy source in the early 1800s, it became a much more impactful source when Deep Creek Lake was developed in 1925. What may not be widely known, Nichols said, is that Deep Creek Lake was supposed to be only one of four lakes in Garrett County.
"One would have completely covered Swallow Falls," said Nichols, noting the others were planned for the Sang Run area and just outside of Oakland. "The one at Swallow Falls would have created a massive holding lake supplying the other two.
"The county would look quite different if those projects had taken place," added Nichols. "World War II, the increasing cost of the projects, and people becoming aware of the environmental impact of flooding these lands all played roles in no more lakes being created – and they were pretty far along in developing those projects."
Closer to present time, Nichols discussed the Accident natural gas storage facility.
"That’s important – natural gas isn’t easy to store," said Nichols. "If you want to store it, you need a large underground area. All you see above the surface [in Accident] is a U-shaped bundle of pipes and valves, but that’s a pretty valuable asset."
As for renewable energy, Nichols indicated this region may be better suited for wind as opposed to solar.
"We have a lot of wind typically coming in from the west," said Nichols. "We’ve also got a very nice ridgeline of Backbone and Savage mountains – and in less than about 10 years, all of the publicly accessible lands along those ridgelines built up with wind turbines."
While Nichols said Garrett County’s solar potential is "pretty much on par with Alaska," he noted federal and state government policies – highlighted by Production Tax Credits (PTCs) and Investment Tax Credits (ITCs) – have "incentivized a lot of renewable energy projects," including solar.
