Accident, Maryland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Accident, Maryland
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James Drane House in 2012
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Location of Accident, Maryland
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 Accident, Maryland
Location in Maryland
Accident, Maryland
Location in the United States
Accident, Maryland
Location in North America
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Maryland |
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| County |  Garrett |
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| Patented | 1786 | |
| Incorporated | 1916 | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 0.49 sq mi (1.28 km2) | |
| • Land | 0.49 sq mi (1.28 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) | |
| Elevation | 2,356 ft (718 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 338 | |
| • Density | 684.21/sq mi (263.97/km2) | |
| Demonym(s) | Accidental | |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) | |
| ZIP code |
21520
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| Area codes | 301, 240 | |
| FIPS code | 24-00225 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 2390695 | |
Accident is a town in Garrett County, Maryland, United States. The population was 338 at the 2020 United States census. Accident has been noted for its unusual place name. A person from Accident is called an "Accidental".
History
Accident was one of the early settlements in the far west of Maryland. The name originates about the time of the 1786 land survey. Though the origin or meaning of the name is unknown, one popular story says that Brooke Beall and William Deakins, Jr., friends from Prince George's County, were conducting separate surveys in the area at the time and "by accident" Deakins claimed land already surveyed by Beall.
When Lord Baltimore opened up the area, which he called Monocacy Manor, for settlement, in the early 1770s, Brooke Beall secured permission to survey 778 acres (315 hectares; 1.216 square miles). It will never be known for certain how Beall came to choose this particular spot, but the surveyor was given clear instructions where to start. He was to begin "in the center between two bounded white oak trees, standing on the North Side of the South fork of Bear Creek in or near a glade about one Hundred yards from said Run, about one or two Miles above a Lick known by the name of the "Cole Mine Lick", about four miles (6.4 km) above the mouth of Broad Creek and about one mile (1.6 km) East of a Ridge of the Negro Mountain." John Hanson, Jr., later a delegate to the Continental Congress, and President of the United States in Congress Assembled, on April 14, 1774, surveyed the land, finding that it only contained 682 acres (276 hectares). For the next twelve years, nothing was done with the survey. The American Revolutionary War intervened, and it was not until February 15, 1786, that the land was granted by means of a patent to William Deakins. The following year the surrounding countryside was surveyed into military lots by Francis Deakins, lots that were meant as compensation for the soldiers who served from Maryland during the Revolution. Each soldier who served for two years received one lot of 50 acres (20 hectares), officers received four lots of 50 acres (20 hectares) each.
Kaese Mill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The James Drane House was listed in 1985.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.49 square miles (1.27 km2), all land.
Accident is located in the plateau region of the Appalachian Mountains.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 114 | — | |
| 1940 | 236 | — | |
| 1950 | 242 | 2.5% | |
| 1960 | 237 | −2.1% | |
| 1970 | 237 | 0.0% | |
| 1980 | 246 | 3.8% | |
| 1990 | 349 | 41.9% | |
| 2000 | 353 | 1.1% | |
| 2010 | 325 | −7.9% | |
| 2020 | 311 | −4.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 325 people, 141 households, and 86 families residing in the town. The population density was 663.3 inhabitants per square mile (256.1/km2). There were 173 housing units at an average density of 353.1 per square mile (136.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.8% White, 0.6% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.6% of the population.
There were 141 households, of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.0% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.99.
The median age in the town was 34.5 years. 26.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.3% were from 25 to 44; 22.8% were from 45 to 64; and 15.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 45.5% male and 54.5% female.
Transportation
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The primary method of transportation to and from Accident is by road. One state-maintained highway, U.S. Route 219, serves the town directly, following Main Street through the middle of Accident. To the north, US 219 connects Accident to Interstate 68 and U.S. Route 40, along with the town of Grantsville, before heading into Pennsylvania. Heading south, US 219 connects to Maryland Route 42, Maryland Route 39, Maryland Route 135 and U.S. Route 50, along with the towns of Oakland and Mountain Lake Park, before it enters West Virginia.
Notable people
- Wendell R. Beitzel, member of Maryland House of Delegates
- James Drane, builder and first owner of the historic Drane House
See also
In Spanish: Accident (Maryland) para niños
