When Diana Mills Scott MLA ’98 moved into her Sykesville home in 1965, she was curious about why her road led right into Liberty Reservoir.

“In times of drought, you can see the foundation stones, upturned roads and pipes coming out of hillsides in midair. There is not much else left,” Scott said of the thriving mill town that was flooded in 1953 to make way for Liberty Lake.

It took Scott more than 30 years to finally begin research on this project and piece together the story of Oakland Mill. Her work culminated in a master’s thesis at the College in 1998 and publication by the Carroll County Historical Society of “The Forgotten Corner: A History of Oakland Mill.”

Scott interviewed people who grew up in Oakland, some now in their 90s. They wove stories of a close-knit village where people lived together and worked together at the Melville Woolen Mill. Workers rented rooms for $1 a week, and heated them with coal oil or kerosene. There was no electricity. The company store contained the town’s only telephone. Sick workers would write their names on a blackboard, and a doctor would make house calls.

“One woman said her father was one of the only salaried workers at the mill,” said Scott. “He would see a child without shoes and would say, ‘Come with me,’ and he’d buy the kid some shoes.’”

In the 1930s, a new Maryland law stated that Baltimore City had the right to destroy everything in the path of drinking water for Baltimore City. A rumor swirled that Oakland would be destroyed, but few left. An announcement was finally made in 1942 that a reservoir was to be built, but reality hit in 1947, when the timber cutters came to town.

In 1951, the government bought the Melville Woolen Mill for $1.5 million. It bought the farms and houses that were in the way of the lake. The tenant workers were forced to leave their homes, jobs, and community.

The mill was dynamited, although its five-story shell remained. It took years for the water to rise high enough to cover the crumbling walls.

“It was exciting to write this paper,” Scott said. “It includes elements of Sociology, History, and Anthropology.”

Biology Professor Louise Paquin was among her advisers.

“It was such an interesting multidisciplinary project that not only satisfied the requirement but was a hallmark of the MLA thesis, in the sense that it brought together so many disciplines,” Paquin said.

Scott spiral-bound her thesis and gave copies to area libraries in 1998. The Carroll County Historical Society discovered the work last year and decided to publish it.

“I’m giving the proceeds to the historical society,” Scott said. “I wanted it to be my donation to history in general. I believe people should read about their history and understand where they’re coming from.”