When the Lonaconing silk mill abruptly padlocked its doors July 7, 1957, after a labor dispute, it locked in decades of history and even a few employees' lunches.

Now the Allegany County Commission is looking for ways to salvage that industrial heritage, either preserving it as a museum or perhaps giving it new life in the form of offices or apartments.

County commissioners have agreed to pay $5,500 for the Frostburg State University economics department to study uses for the 90-year-old building, which is privately owned.

"Allegany County doesn't have that many tourist attractions," said co-owner Herbert F. Crawford, a retired teacher. "We should try to develop the ones we have. This is what we need to keep tourists overnight and get them to go to local restaurants."

Crawford has said he would reimburse the county for the cost of the study, if the project is successfully developed.

Inside what was once the Klots Throwing Co. is a portrait of the early 20th-century textile industry, complete with about 500,000 wooden bobbins -- perhaps the only silk mill that remains intact in the country, Crawford said. Also within are soaking tubs and iron spinners used by the mill's more than 300 employees to turn silk, spun by worms in China and Japan, into threads of many colors.

The mill once was a bustling part of Lonaconing, a town in the southwestern corner of distressed Allegany County, where unemployment in this county of about 71,300 is about 9 percent.

Twenty years ago, when he invested in the two-story brick building that stretches the length of a football field, Crawford envisioned himself a hometown hero who would save a key piece of the area's history and maybe make some money at the same time. But success has not come.

"Some people value it highly and say it's priceless," he said. "Some say it's just a dilapidated building. It depends on what price you put on history."

Dale R. Lewis, president of the county commissioners and a Lonaconing resident, said redeveloping the silk mill would complement other attractions the state is promoting nearby, including the C&O; Canal, the National Road and Western Maryland Station Center.

"Allegany County is relying a lot on tourism, and this would just be another jewel in the crown," Lewis said.

"It all fits in, and if we can get the people to come to Allegany County, we'll give them several days of tourism events."

Pub Date: 3/27/99