Garrett County is named for John Work Garrett, who was president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Fayette County, Pennsylvania and Somerset County, Pennsylvania
E – Alleghany County and Mineral County, West Virginia
S – Grant County, West Virginia and Tucker County, West Virginia
W – Preston County, West Virginia
Created: November 5, 1872 
County Seat:
Oakland 1874 – present
County Courthouse – Oakland
Location: 203 South 3rd Street / East Alder Street
Built: 1907 – 1908
Style: Neo-Classical Renaissance Revival
Architect: James Riely Gordon and Tracy and Swartwout of New York, NY
Contractor: W A Liller of Keyser, West Virginia
Description: The building faces west and is a three story buff colored brick and stone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Oakland and is designed in the form of a Latin Cross. The west front has a large portico with three arches on the first story and four columns rising to a pediment at the roof line. The pediment contains a clock and ornamentation. The building has north and south wings which have similar porticos. On the center of the roof is a large dome with eagle state at the top.
See: The architect James Riely Gordon of San Antonio, Texas
See: National Register of Historic Places – Garnett County Courthouse
See: The 4th Judicial Circuit includes Alleghany County and Washington County.
History: The county was created in 1872 as the last county created in Maryland and Oakland was selected as the county seat in 1874. The court sessions were convened at the Glades Hotel ( first hotel burned in 1874 and second hotel was torn down in 1908 ) and other locations in Oakland. The first courthouse was a two story brick structure built by Burton and Bush in 1877 at a cost of $15,000, and stood at Fourth Street and Green Street, until it was replaced by a new and more elaborate structure in 1908. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1907 to 1908 at a cost of $60.692.
County Administration Building – Oakland
Location: 203 South 3rd Street / East Alder Street
Built: 1977 – 1979
Style: Modern
Architect: Belek-Minnerly Group, Inc.
Contractor: Pevarnin Brothers, Inc.
Description: The building faces west and is a two story concrete and glass structure. The building faces north and was completed in 1979. The building is located on the east side of the courthouse in the center of Oakland and follows the slope up the hill to 4th Street. The building is called the Frederick A Thayer III Administration Office Building. The entrance on the north side is recessed. The windows are horizontal and run below the flat roof line.
County Courthouse – Oakland
County Administration Building – Oakland
Photos taken 2012