Located in Garrett County, Friendsville was founded in 1765 and finally incorporated in 1902. Friendsville is actually a Municipality – 1 of 8 in the County. In short, Municipalities are towns or cities that are self-governing. Most commonly, they have been incorporated by an act of the General Assembly, though sometimes by referendum. There are 480 residents and the town proper covers .91 square miles. Some background on the town (from the town pamphlet):
“John Friend was the first English settler who came to what is Garrett County before the Revolution. When John Friend and his companions traveled up the Yough River from Turkeyfoot in the mid-1700s they found a lush valley with abundant wild-life and plant food. The Shawnee Indians, who were encamped here, called it the Hunter’s Bowl. John was able to communicate that he wanted to bring his family and live here. Permission was granted. There was a peaceful co-existence until the area became heavily populated with white people forcing the Shawnee Indians to the West. In the 1820s, the iron industry brought more people, coal mining brought the railroad and lumbering brought enough prosperity to support three hotels, a department store, restaurants, saloons, and even an opera house. The removal of the railroad when the Yough Dam was built coincided with WWII. Many young people left allowing the Town of Friendsville to go back to sleep until Interstate 68 and the Yough River brought back new life and people. Many of Friend’s descendents live in Garrett County today, and the headquarters and library of the Friend Family Association are in Friendsville because of this connection.”
Several months ago, a friend mentioned on social media if anyone was ever visiting Friendsville the first order of business was to have lunch at the Water Street Café and to tell his friend Chris (Proprietor) “hello” from him. I researched the Friendsville population, found it met my criteria of small towns (less than 500 people), and decided to put the visit on my town visit in August. So, in addition to adding Friendsville to my small town collection, I was looking forward to eating at a place one of my friends recommended.
Once I passed the “Welcome to Friendship” sign, I immediately figured out why my friend even drove the distance to this place. It was because…….ah, again! You will have to wait until I finish eating for me to continue with my adventure. Sorry ‘bout that! Back to the café……the Water Street Café was all my friend said it would be. Not only was it located across the street from a river (I actually might say, THE river), it had an eclectic /new age vibe, small menu, organic, and the nicest, down –to-earth owners. My order was a veggie wrap – simple, but delicious. I am not sure if it was the atmosphere (river scene, fresh mountain air, organic filling) making it so tasty, but, again, the recommendation was “spot on.” When I mentioned my friend to Chris, he immediately lit up and had nothing but good things to say. We chatted a few minutes about things to do/see in the town, I finished my wrap, thanked him for his hospitality, and said my goodbyes.
I have not forgotten my promise to tell you about what draws visitors from all over the world to this small town. Oh, I added the words “from all over the world”, didn’t I? I apologize, Readers, but as it was an absolutely gorgeous day (blue sky, sunny, not overly hot), I decided to head on over to the Kendall Trail (one of Chris’ recommendations) for a short hike along the river. So, I do not want to talk about the “draw”, yet! Anyway, the Kendall Trail is a short, but lovely (out and back – 3 miles round trip) flat trail running along the river. It follows a 1890s era rail bed to an old logging community called Kendall. Little remains of the town of Kendall, but in its heyday this was a busy mining and lumber town. As I was short on time, I only walked 1 mile round trip. However, it was as if time stood still – I watched a father and his small son skip stones in the river; listened to only the cicadas, birds, and the flowing water; saw a couple of young boys catch fish from the back deck of a old house; and I only encountered one other person on the trail. I kept thinking to myself I really wished I could bottle that experience.
The Upper Yough is the “one of the crown jewels of East Coast whitewater rafting. It is the only Class V whitewater rafting river in Maryland and is the best steep, technical continuous whitewater on the East Coast. Summer time Class V whitewater is a real treat, especially when it is available three times a week from April until October. Water is released from Deep Creek Lake into the Youghiogheny River Gorge to make this rafting trip possible. The important thing to remember is the Upper Yough can ONLY be run on dam release . Releases are generally on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays but the exact days do fluctuate. River guides and local kayakers also refer to the Upper Yough as the "Dream Stream" – people actually arrange their work schedules around these water release. To take an excerpt from the above attached:
If you have not guessed already, previous rafting experience is strongly recommended. The guides use specially designed self-bailing four-person rafts with foot stirrups to help you tackle the technical Class IV and V rapids. One guide and three guests are in each raft – only the most experienced guides accompanying you on this tour. Sound exhilarating? I wish I could have witnessed people on the Miracle Mile, but alas, all I could do during my visit is witness people putting their boats in the water. If you are interested in the Yough without so much intensity, the Lower Yough is always available, but the start point is not in Friendsville.
This town just “keeps on giving”! There is a winery here - Deep Creek Cellars and it has been around for roughly 18 years. Paul (Proprietor) was my “tour guide” during my tasting. I was told this is the sole winery in Maryland making ONLY dry wines, which was very interesting. He prides himself on not using chemicals/additives to change the taste of the wine to make it sweet. Deep Creek Cellars does make one sweet wine (sweetened with other berries), but it’s a dessert wine. I told him I was low on my fruit intake today so I would be interested in tasting that one, as well. Paul had me sample 6 of his wines and all were equally lovely. I DEFINITELY tasted the sweetness of the dessert wine after having all of the dry wine previously. As I was the only one there for the tasting, Paul and I were able to have a nice, informative conversation about wine and the winery. It was getting late, so I purchased two bottles of wine and left.
Noticing the time, realizing I had 6 samples (SMALL SIPS, PEOPLE, SMALL SIPS!!!) of wine, and not having any food in my system (except for a few crackers I ate when I got back in the car), I decided to stay in Friendsville for dinner. Nothing could have made me happier as I found a restaurant in my town research I wanted to try, but they did not start serving dinner until 4:00 pm. Originally, when I was forming my agenda for the town, I decided not eat there because it was still a long drive home. As it was 3:40 when I got out of the winery, and I was 15 min from the restaurant, I decided to stay.
The restaurant was the Riverside Hotel (built in 1889). The reason I wanted to eat there was because it was it was place serving only a Vegetarian meal, which consisted of all- you-can-eat soup, salad, and bread along with one dessert – all for $12.00. Each course rotates on a daily basis, so the menu is always different depending on what they pick from their garden. The nice thing about the restaurant is it was located next to the Water Street Café, which is located across from the river. I got to sit on the porch and eat while watching the kayaks and rafts drift by. And the gorgeous day flowed into a most beautiful evening. I was the only customer (probably because it was 4:00 pm and everyone was still on the river). Kate was the hostess/waitress and she could not have been more hospitable.
Kate made the Artisan bread from scratch, which literally takes all
day. In fact, everything is made from
scratch. As I ate, a gentleman sat down
at a neighboring table to eat. I found
out later he was the owner and he was waiting for his wife to pass by in her
raft on the river so she could meet him for dinner. We had a nice conversation about the river
and the release of the Dam, how the water would rise and the rocks I could see
at the time would disappear at the 5:00 timeframe, and how the boaters I would
see soon would be because they are just ahead of the water flowing from the
Dam. We also spoke about Friendsville –
how he had passed by the town’s exit for decades not even knowing the little
“village of people and activity surrounded by trees and water tucked away” was
even there. I agreed it is the best kept
secret.
Looking at the time, I decided I should probably start my 3 hour
journey home. I absolutely did not want
to leave. Friendsville is so much more
than a sleepy little town tucked away in the mountains or just a place housing
gas for a critical fill-up. It is balance
and perfection. I will definitely be
back for a longer stay.
