TOWN OF CARPENDALE

WRITTEN BY: BARBARA J. ALGIERI
MINERAL COUNTY 1999

About the mid-1800’s, two farms existed at the base of Knobley Mountain, just 2 miles
from Ridgeley, in Mineral County. Henry Miller owned one farm, from the crossroads at Maryland Junction (Western Md. Railroad) up to the present day Allegheny Power station and contained approximately 500 +/- acres. The other farm was owned by Frank V. Carpenter, Sr. and ran from the power station to the area known as KnobMount at the other end.
Mr. Carpenter willed his farm to his son Frank V. Carpenter, Jr. who then began developing his farm area and built several houses and selling them a few at a time. This development became known as Carpenter’s Addition.
Mr. Carpenter died in July of 1960 and willed the water system and other properties in Carpenter’s Addition, to his niece, Susie McNeill Buser, who then continued the operation of the well water system until she died in 1976.
Mrs. Buser’s sons continued the well water operations until 1990.

Mr. Miller sold some of his property on the lower side of the railroad tunnel bridge.
This area was then developed and was called Millerdale I. Another area of the old Miller farm was eventually developed by Pownall Builders and was named Millerdale II. It contains one area with mobile homes with the balance being one story homes.

With the area’s continued growth, it became apparent the need for better sewer and water facilities. After a rejected attempt at consolidating with the Town of Ridgeley, a group of citizens, after many meetings, decided the best way to better water and sewer facilities was to incorporate the three areas.
Thus on January 4, 1990, Carpenter’s Addition, Millerdale I and II, encompassing
approximately two and one-half square miles, was born the Town of Carpendale with an approximate population of 1200 people and about 420 homes.

Through a survey, it was determined that 51% of the population was comprised of
low/moderate incomes, and therefore making the town eligible for grants.
The area did not have a community wide sewage collection and treament system.
Most homes relied on septic tanks and at times, some places actually discharged into
the Potomac River. The town also had three (3) separate well water systems, which
were very old and very inadequate.
With her main objective being obtaining a sewer system for the town, the only Mayor
the Town of Carpendale has ever had, Mrs. Doris M. Marks, set out to obtain assistance from the governor. Through a Small Cities Block Grant, a sewer system was installed in 1991 and connected to the City of Cumberland for treatment. And after more
determination on her part, Mayor Marks, was able to obtain a grant for a water system.
In 1994, a state of the art community water system was installed. The well is approximately 800 feet deep, with a tank that holds 210,000 gallons, and pumps about 92-98 gallons per minute.

After renting a small office for about 8 years, through a grant from the governor, in 1998 a new Town Hall was built. The Town Hall houses a two car garage, to hold the town trucks and equipment and through the efforts of a few “young” town men a modern office was built. These men worked diligently and without pay to finish the interior of the office and meeting room.
Jack Nichols, Charles Davis, Robert Spriggs, and Louis Stachowiak worked long hours to construct the office. (Secret? They are all over 70)

OFFICERS
 MAYOR Doris M. Marks 1990 -Present

COUNCIL MEMBERS

1990 - 1992
Dorrin “Butch” Armentrout
Robert Scott
Charles Cook
Richard Dorsey
Charles Davis
TOWN CLERK / RECORDER
 Jean Dorsey

1992 - 1994
Mayor Marks

COUNCIL

Dorrin “Butch” Armentrout
Robert Spriggs
Charles Davis
Louis Stachowiak
Charles Cook
TOWN CLERK / RECORDER
Pat Armentrout

1994 - 1996

Mayor Marks

COUNCIL
Dorrin “Butch” Armentrout
Tom Davis
Paul Detrick
Steve Shambaugh
Todd Riggleman
Note: T. Riggleman moved and Robert Spriggs filled the unexpired term.
TOWN CLERK / RECORDER
Barbara Jean Algieri

1996 - 1998
Mayor Marks
COUNCIL
Dorrin “Butch” Armentrout
Dwight Lambert
Barbara Rapson
Andrea Cummins
TOWN CLERK / RECORDER
Barbara Jean Algieri (Resigned Aug.1998 due to illness)
Rhonda VanMeter began to fill in as Clerk in Aug. 1997 and remains as the
Town Clerk/Recorder.

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