Where Maryland Shone -
Chrome Production

The only metal in which Maryland has ever led the world in production is chrome. You are familiar with this bright metal, much used today on automobiles and in making steel. It gives strength, resists rust, and wears well. It is also mixed with chemicals for dyeing fabrics, coloring glass and pottery, and processing leather.

Between 1828 and 1850, Maryland provided most of the world's supply of chrome ore when it was used chiefly as a coloring agent.

Substantial deposits of chromite, the source of chrome, have been found in Harford and Baltimore counties. It is present chiefly in the areas known as the Serpentine Barrens. These areas are underlain by the rock serpentine. The soil in the area is poor and usually grows little more than low bushes and scrubby trees.

The story is told that a man named Isaac Tyson, Jr., was the first to notice the connection between the Serpentine Barrens and the presence of chrome ore. It is said that back in 1827, Tyson happened to be in the Belair Market in Baltimore City one day and noticed a cider barrel on a wagon steadied by some rocks he recognized as serpentine. He learned that these rocks had come from near Jarrettsville, located in the northern part of our county, and that led him to the discovery of a new source of chromite. The Coopstown-Jarrettsville area in Harford County proved to be the best producer in the state. You can easily guess how Chrome Hill in Harford County got its name.