History of Cumberland, Maryland - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Cumberland, Maryland is named after the son of King George II

George II of Great Britain

George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...

, Prince William, the Duke of Cumberland

Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland

Prince William , was a younger son of George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach, and Duke of Cumberland from 1726. He is generally best remembered for his role in putting down the Jacobite Rising at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, and as such is also known as "Butcher" Cumberland...

. It is built on the site of the old Fort Cumberland

Fort Cumberland (Maryland)

thumb|380px|Fort Cumberland, 1755 Fort Cumberland was an 18th century frontier fort at the current site of Cumberland, Maryland, USA...

, a launch pad for British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

General Edward Braddock

Edward Braddock

General Edward Braddock was a British soldier and commander-in-chief for the 13 colonies during the actions at the start of the French and Indian War...

's ill-fated attack on the French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

stronghold of Fort Duquesne

Fort Duquesne

Fort Duquesne was a fort established by the French in 1754, at the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers in what is now downtown Pittsburgh in the state of Pennsylvania....

(located on the site of present-day Pittsburgh) during the French and Indian War

French and Indian War

The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...

. (See Braddock expedition

Braddock expedition

The Braddock expedition, also called Braddock's campaign or, more commonly, Braddock's Defeat, was a failed British military expedition which attempted to capture the French Fort Duquesne in the summer of 1755 during the French and Indian War. It was defeated at the Battle of the Monongahela on...

.)

Cumberland was also an outpost of Colonel George Washington

George Washington

George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

during the French and Indian War

French and Indian War

and his first military headquarters

Headquarters of George Washington

The Headquarters of George Washington is a historic log cabin in Cumberland, Maryland that was built for then Colonel George Washington for his use between 1755 and 1758 during the French and Indian War...

was built here. Washington later returned to Cumberland as President in 1794 to review troops that had been assembled to thwart the Whiskey Rebellion

Whiskey Rebellion

The Whiskey Rebellion, or Whiskey Insurrection, was a tax protest in the United States in the 1790s, during the presidency of George Washington. Farmers who sold their corn in the form of whiskey had to pay a new tax which they strongly resented...

.

Cumberland was a key road, railroad and canal

Canal

Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...

junction during the 19th century and at one time the second largest city in Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

(second to the port city of Baltimore—hence its nickname "The Queen City"). The surrounding hillsides provided coal

Coal

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...

, iron ore, and timber

Timber

Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...

that helped supply the industrial revolution

Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...

. In addition, the city was a major manufacturing center, with industries in glass

Glass

Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...

, breweries, fabrics, and tinplate. However, following World War II, it began to lose much of its industrial importance and its population declined from 39,483 residents in the 1940 census to fewer than 22,000 today. Similar to other communities it resembles in the Monongahela Valley Industrial region of southwestern Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, the city continues to struggle with the challenges of transitioning to a post-industrial economy

Post-industrial society

If a nation becomes "post-industrial" it passes through, or dodges, a phase of society predominated by a manufacturing-based economy and moves on to a structure of society based on the provision of information, innovation, finance, and services.-Characteristics:...

The city of Cumberland has found itself a center of activity throughout its history. During its more than 200 years of existence, Cumberland has been a military fort, the origin point of America's first highway, the termination point of a monumental federal construction project, a western gateway to the Ohio River Valley, the processing center for rich coal fields, and a primary link on one of America's most successful railroads. Nestled dramatically at the base of converging mountain ridges and at the confluence

Confluence

Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...

of Wills Creek

Wills Creek

Wills Creek is the name of several streams in the United States:*Wills Creek , in Pennsylvania and Maryland*Wills Creek , a tributary of the Muskingum River...

and the Potomac River

Potomac River

The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...

, Cumberland conforms in its layout to the rugged topography within which it is situated. From its beginnings as a British fort to its place today as western Maryland's second largest city, Cumberland has always lived up to its nickname as "The Queen City."

Pre-Colonial era

Artifacts pointing to civilizations in existence before the time of Christ have been found in the Cumberland area. Prior to 1730, before the arrival of the first European settlers, a clan of Native Americans lived at the confluence of Wills Creek

Wills Creek (North Branch Potomac River)

Wills Creek is a tributary of the North Branch Potomac River in Pennsylvania and Maryland in the United States.Wills Creek drops off the Allegheny Mountains of southeastern Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and enters the North Branch Potomac River at Cumberland, Maryland.-History:thumb|220px|Fort...

and the Potomac River

Potomac River

The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...

on the site of modern day Cumberland. The existence of this Indian village is noted on the maps of early European Surveyors from this period. The Indian town was called Caiuctucuc

Caiuctucuc

Between 1720 and 1730 early European explorers found a village of considerable size on the western side of what is now Cumberland, Maryland. It was called by the local folk Caiuctucuc. It sat at the junction of two streams, the Cohongaronta and the Caiuctucuc...

and consisted of a series of huts called wigwam

Wigwam

A wigwam or wickiup is a domed room dwelling used by certain Native American tribes. The term wickiup is generally used to label these kinds of dwellings in American Southwest and West. Wigwam is usually applied to these structures in the American Northeast...

s that were built chiefly along the Potomac riverfront, now Greene Street. The natives referred to the present day Potomac river as the Cohongaronto River, and the present day Wills Creek as Caiuctucuc Creek.

Colonial era

The name of Caiuctucuc

Caiuctucuc

was later changed by the first European settlers, about 1750, to Wills Creek, and the settlement's name to Wills Town, in honor of the Indian chief called "Will

Indian Will

Indian Will is a well-known Native American who lived in a former settlement of the Shawnee Indians at the site of prevent day Cumberland, Maryland in the 18th century. This site was abandoned by the Shawnee's prior to the first white settlers arriving in the region, however 'Indian Will' stayed...

", who lived on the mountain to the north of the village at that time. With the coming of the European settlers, most of the Indians abandoned this region and trailed across the mountains to the Ohio River Valley, but Indian Will

Indian Will

was not hostile to the outside settlers, and with a few of his followers continued to live on the mountain where he had his wigwam, and died there, it is believed, some time after the close of the Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

. An old Indian grave on Will's Knob is supposed to be his. Chief Will claimed all the land along the creek and sold it to the European settlers for mere trifles.

When European settlers first began moving into western Maryland in the 1730s and 1740s, they encountered Native Americans residing between the Potomac

Potomac River

The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...

and Susquehanna rivers

Susquehanna River

The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...

. Conflicts ensued, and in 1744 the Maryland legislature

Maryland General Assembly

The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is a bicameral body. The upper chamber, the Maryland State Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 representatives...

purchased the land from the area's Native Americans, observing they would settle "for nothing less than Blood or Money." This contract opened the area to official settlement. Germans, Swiss-Germans, and Scot-Irish from Pennsylvania quickly colonized the area. Although the Maryland legislature had "purchased" the area, Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

and Pennsylvania claimed the land as well. More troubling to the British Empire were French traders intent on securing their rights to the land.

In 1750 Virginia planters and English merchants established a trading house and small storehouse on land which is now the heart of Cumberland. The new trading post (later called Fort Cumberland

Fort Cumberland (Maryland)

thumb|380px|Fort Cumberland, 1755 Fort Cumberland was an 18th century frontier fort at the current site of Cumberland, Maryland, USA...

) attracted the French, who moved south and west from their Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...

forts, drove out the English traders and claimed the Ohio River Valley for France. In 1753, with tensions running high between the French and English, the Governor of Virginia sent a small company led by a young Virginian named George Washington

George Washington

to inform the French to leave English territory and return north. The French ignored Washington's warnings, and he returned to Virginia. In the spring of 1754, Colonel Washington returned to Fort Cumberland, this time with more men. Pushing north from Cumberland towards the forks of the Ohio River

Ohio River

The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

where Pittsburgh is now located, Washington's force (about 230 men) encountered 600 French and 100 Indians soldiers. An inexperienced 22 year-old, Washington did not withdraw, but instructed his men to build a fort, which he grimly named "Fort Necessity." On July 3, 1754, the French and Indian War

French and Indian War

officially began when both groups attacked the fort. Washington, completely surrounded and one third of his men killed, surrendered. Washington and his remaining troops were allowed to retreat (without their weapons) and returned to Fort Cumberland. With the loss of the Ohio River Valley, Fort Cumberland became the primary staging and supply point for the British on the colonial frontier.

The fort, and later the city, derived its name from the Duke of Cumberland

Duke of Cumberland

Duke of Cumberland is a peerage title that was conferred upon junior members of the British Royal Family, named after the county of Cumberland.-History:...

, son of King George II

George II of Great Britain

of Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

. After British General Edward Braddock led another disastrous foray into the Ohio River Valley, George Washington served as commander of the Virginia troops during the French and Indian War, and spent a considerable amount of time in the Cumberland area. The cabin that served as his headquarters

Headquarters of George Washington

is the only building to survive from the Fort, and has been moved to Riverside Park. Washington's service in the area was important, because he became convinced that expansion west into the interior of North America and the Ohio River Valley came through Cumberland's valley. Washington later started a company

Potomac Company

The Potomac Company was created in 1785 to make improvements to the Potomac River in order to improve its navigability. The Potomac Company built five skirting canals around the major falls...

(which failed) to make the Potomac River navigable between the Atlantic Ocean and Cumberland.

In the years between the end of the French and Indian War and the beginning of the American Revolution, Cumberland grew as a town, was designated the seat of the newly created Allegany County, and was poised to become a major artery on the edge of the American frontier.

Post-Colonial

Following the American Revolution

American Revolution

The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

, land hungry settlers began to push purposefully past the land west of the Appalachian Mountains

Appalachian Mountains

The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...

. Cumberland grew slowly, until the much-anticipated Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal, and occasionally referred to as the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 parallel to the Potomac River in Maryland from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington, D.C. The total length of the canal is about . The elevation change of...

(C&O) and Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...

(B&O) arrived in the mid-19th century. These improved transportation routes, along with the increase development and trade opportunities they fostered, transformed this small town into the second largest city in Maryland.

Civil War

During the Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

Cumberland was a union stronghold and troops were garrisoned there to protect the B&O Railroad. Confederate raiders routinely raided the city and in one daring raid by McNeill's Rangers

McNeill's Rangers

McNeill's Rangers was an independent Confederate military force commissioned under the Partisan Ranger Act by the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War. The 210 man battalion-size unit was formed from Company E of the 18th Virginia Cavalry and the First Virginia Partisan Rangers...

kidnapped two Union generals, including General George Crook

George Crook

George R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...

.

In 1864, Confederate General towards Cumberland, Maryland, to disrupt the B&O Railroad. Union Brig. Gen. Benjamin F. Kelly organized a small force of soldiers and ambushed the Rebel cavalrymen near Cumberland at Folck’s Mill forcing the Confederates to withdraw. (See Battle of Cumberland)

Industrial Revolution

Through much of its history, Cumberland's economic prosperity derived from its position as an early transportation hub linking the East Coast with the Midwest. Because of its strategic location at a gap in the mountains, Cumberland was in 1806 the starting point for the nation's first highway, the National Road

National Road

The National Road or Cumberland Road was the first major improved highway in the United States to be built by the federal government. Construction began heading west in 1811 at Cumberland, Maryland, on the Potomac River. It crossed the Allegheny Mountains and southwestern Pennsylvania, reaching...

(later known as U.S. Route 40

U.S. Route 40 in Maryland

U.S. Route 40 in the U.S. state of Maryland runs from western Maryland to Cecil County in the state's northeastern corner. With a total length of over , it is the longest numbered highway in Maryland. Almost half of the road overlaps with Interstate 68 or Interstate 70, while the old alignment...

). The road reached Wheeling, West Virginia

Wheeling, West Virginia

Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...

on the Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

border in 1818. Of even greater significance to Cumberland's economic development in the 19th century were the B&O Railroad, which reached Cumberland from Baltimore in 1842, and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal from Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

Georgetown is a neighborhood located in northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751, the port of Georgetown predated the establishment of the federal district and the City of Washington by 40 years...

to Cumberland, which opened in 1850. By the 1890s, five railroads served Cumberland and employed over 2,000 local people.

The C&O Canal was also an important commercial link between East and West, providing bulk transport of items such as coal, flour, iron, and limestone products. Facilitated by Cumberland's importance as a transportation hub, manufacturing emerged as a major force in the local economy in the 19th century. By the mid-19th century Cumberland was the second largest manufacturing center in the State of Maryland, a ranking not surpassed until approximately 1915 by Hagerstown, Maryland

Hagerstown, Maryland

Hagerstown is a city in northwestern Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Washington County, and, by many definitions, the largest city in a region known as Western Maryland. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2010 census was 39,662, and the population of the...

. Important industries included glass manufacturing, brewing, textiles, and iron and steel works. The B&O Railroad's rolling mill, located off Williams Street and Maryland Avenue, was a major employer in Cumberland from 1870 into the 20th century.

Coal mining quickly became the most important industry in the Cumberland area. Some of the richest beds of soft, bituminous coal in the country lay within the hills and mountains of this region. After the Civil War, coal became one of Maryland's chief products and exports. Coal from the Cumberland area fueled the state's mills and plants, steamships in Baltimore's harbor as well as the US Navy fleet, and was traded to buyers from London, Brazil, Egypt, and beyond. Primarily Scotch and Welsh immigrants provided the labor force for these mines, immigrating with their families for the opportunities America offered. In the Cumberland region, miners escaped the indebtedness to the mining company that plagued miners in surrounding states. The company store system, in which miners were forced to purchase all their supplies and household needs from the mining company, was outlawed in Maryland in 1868. A comparatively high proportion of miners were also homeowners, as local mining firms found it more profitable to sell houses to their miners, than establish "company" housing. Cumberland's coal mines were constructed with horizontal shafts, far less dangerous that the vertical mines of Pennsylvania and West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

. Still, Cumberland's miners blackened from head to foot when they emerged from a mine at the end of a day knew that the carbon-filled air, which corroded the lungs overtime, would lead to an early death.

Various manufacturing plants were established in Cumberland, because of its proximity to sources of fuel and raw materials and its position on major transportation routes. Cumberland blossomed as a result, the downtown commercial area thrived, and impressive residences built around the city reflected individual prosperity. The city became the economic center of the region. Rural farmers, industrial workers and miners traveled downtown along with successful industrialists, businessmen and county officials.

Consolidation coal and the Big Vein

In the early 19th century a 14 feet (4.3 m) thick seam of bituminous coal

Bituminous coal

Bituminous coal or black coal is a relatively soft coal containing a tarlike substance called bitumen. It is of higher quality than lignite coal but of poorer quality than Anthracite...

referred to historically as "The Big Vein

The Big Vein

The Big Vein refers to a thick seam of bituminous coal discovered in the Georges Creek Valley of Western Maryland in the early 19th century. This coal vein became famous for its clean-burning low sulfur content that made it ideal for powering ocean steamers, river boats, locomotives, steam mills,...

" was discovered in the Georges Creek Valley

Georges Creek Valley

Georges Creek Valley is located in Allegany County, Maryland along the George's Creek. The valley is rich in wide veins of coal, known historically as the "The Big Vein." Coal was once extracted by deep mines but is only mined today through surface mining...

. This coal region became famous for its clean-burning low sulfur content that made it ideal for powering ocean steamers, river boats, locomotives, and steam mills, and machines shops.

By 1850, almost 30 coal companies were mining the Georges Creek Valley

Georges Creek Valley

, producing over 60 million tons of coal between 1854 to 1891. The Consolidation Coal Company, established in 1864 and headquartered in Cumberland, Maryland became one of the largest bituminous coal companies in the eastern United States and Cumberland had financial connections that reached beyond Washington, DC and Baltimore

Baltimore

Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...

to New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

and London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. Mine owners and their lawyers announced their importance by building large houses on the Cumberland higher grounds. A few miles west of the city clusters of company towns lined the valley and spread into adjoining ravines.

Maryland's coal production begin in the 1780s, when small amounts were mined for Fort Cumberland

Fort Cumberland

Fort Cumberland can refer to:*Fort Cumberland *Fort Cumberland also known as Fort Beauséjour*Fort Cumberland Fort Cumberland is located in Cucumber Land, Cumber is short for Cucumber. Fort Cumberland was founded by Johnson Merrell, a moonshiner in 1687...

, a frontier outpost. In 1830, the first coal shipments eastward were made by barge down the Potomac River

Potomac River

The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...

, a route later abandoned because of the rapids in the river. The State's first coal mining company was incorporated in 1836, but coal production did not become important unit the B&O Railroad reached Cumberland in 1842. In 1850, the opening of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal from Cumberland to Washington, DC provided another route for coal shipments. Over 21 million short tons of coal were transported on the canal before it closed in 1923.

Maryland's coal production rose about 1 million short tons in 1865, exceeded 4 million short tons by the turn of the 20th century, and reached an all time high of about 6 million short tons in 1907. A small amount of the coal production in the early 20th century was premium smithing coal (as in blacksmith) that was specially processed and delivered in box cars to customers throughout the United States and Canada. Coal production declined sharply after 1920, reflecting downturns in the economy recurrent labor problems and the extensive replacement of coal by the petroleum. Production fell below 1 million short tons during the 1950s and early 1960s before the trend turned up-wards, due mostly to an increasing use of coal to generate electricity. Over 3 million short tons were produced by the state of Maryland in 1992.

Transportation and distribution

Transportation systems have played a major role in the history and development of Cumberland. Situated on the Potomac River

Potomac River

The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...

at a natural gateway through the mountains, Cumberland prospered in its early years as a major transportation hub. The development of the National Road, the country's first federally funded public works project, began in Cumberland in 1811 and reached Wheeling, West Virginia

Wheeling, West Virginia

by 1818. Cumberland's transportation system evolved around the C&O Canal and burgeoning rail lines, shaped by the natural setting of the mountains, Potomac River

Potomac River

The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...

, and Wills Creek

Wills Creek (North Branch Potomac River)

. The B&O Railroad reached Cumberland in 1842, followed by the Mount Savage Railroad

Mount Savage Railroad

The Mount Savage Railroad was a railroad operated by the Mount Savage Coal and Iron Company of Mount Savage, Maryland between 1845 and 1854. The 14.9 miles rail line ran from Frostburg to Cumberland, Maryland.-History:...

in 1845, Huntingdon and Broad Top Mountain Railroad

Huntingdon and Broad Top Mountain Railroad

Huntington & Broad Top Mountain Railroad is a former short line railroad company operating passenger and freight service on standard gauge track in south central Pennsylvania....

in 1872, the Georges Creek and Cumberland Railroad

Georges Creek and Cumberland Railroad

The Georges Creek and Cumberland Railroad was a railroad that operated in Maryland from 1876 until 1917, when it was merged with the Western Maryland Railway...

in 1876, and the Western Maryland Railway

Western Maryland Railway

The Western Maryland Railway was an American Class I railroad which operated in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. It was primarily a coal hauling and freight railroad, with a small passenger train operation. The WM became part of the Chessie System in 1973 and ceased operating its lines...

in 1906. (The Mount Savage Railroad was purchased by the Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad

Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad

The Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad was an American railroad which operated in Western Maryland. Primarily a coal hauler, it was owned by the Consolidation Coal Company, and was absorbed into the Western Maryland Railway in 1944....

in 1854.)

The completion of Interstate 68

Interstate 68

Interstate 68 is a Interstate highway in the U.S. states of West Virginia and Maryland, connecting in Morgantown to in Hancock. is also Corridor E of the Appalachian Development Highway System. From 1965 until the freeway's construction was completed in 1991, it was designated as...

in the late 1960s improved connections to outside regions including the Baltimore

Baltimore

/Washington metropolitan area to the east, Harrisburg to the northeast, and Pittsburgh to the northwest.

Electric trolleys

Electric Trolleys experienced rapid expansion in the Cumberland Region starting in 1891 with the inauguration of the Cumberland Electric Railway. The railway initially transported passengers along North Centre Street to Narrows Park for a fare of five cents. The company later expanded its business by building a recreational complex on 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) of land in an area formerly known as Seiss’ Picnic Grove, at the western end of the Cumberland Narrows

Cumberland Narrows

The Cumberland Narrows is a water gap in western Maryland in the United States, just west of Cumberland, Maryland. Wills Creek cuts through the central ridge of the Wills Mountain Anticline at a low elevation here between Wills Mountain to the north and Haystack Mountain to the south...

near the present day Starlight Skating Rink. The Park included a soda fountain, dance and roller skating pavilion, and bandstand. In 1914, Kirkstetler Amusement leased the park to build an amusement park, that included a roller coaster, a merry-go-round, and a miniature railroad ride. In summer evenings the park was patronized by large crowds, and the trolley company expanded to meet the demand by adding extra, open sided cars to handle the traffic.

1891-1924 Cumberland Electric Railway
1924-1932 Potomac Edison Co. (American Water Works & Electric Co.)
1893-???? Lonaconing and Cumberland Electric Railway
????-???? Frostburg, Eckhart, and Cumberland Railway
????-???? Lonaconing, Midland and Frostburg Railway
????-???? Westernport and Lonaconing Railway Company
1906-1932 Cumberland and Westernport Electric Railway
Cumberland and Westernport Electric Railway
The Cumberland Electric Railway, now defunct, was an American railroad of western Maryland built in the 19th and 20th centuries.Electric trolley service in Cumberland, Maryland started in 1891 with the inauguration of the Cumberland Electric Railway. The railway initially transported passengers...

The C&WE trolley system consolidated the regional trolley lines of Lonaconing, Midland, Frostburg, Westernport, and Lonaconing into one system with nearly 30 miles (48.3 km) of track, running from Cumberland to Frostburg
Frostburg, Maryland
Frostburg is a city in Allegany County, Maryland, United States located at the head of the Georges Creek Valley. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,873 at the 2000 census...

and then down to the valley to Westernport
Westernport, Maryland
Westernport is a town in Allegany County, Maryland, United States, located along the Georges Creek Valley. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,104 at the 2000 census.-History:...

linking together the largest far western population centers
1932 - streetcars discontinued in Cumberland

Brewing industry

Breweries existed in Cumberland as early as 1852. Bartholomew Himmler established a brewery, about 1852, on Knox and Hays Streets. The brewery was often called "Bartle's Brewery", short for Bartholomew.

The Cumberland Brewing Company (1890–1958) which operated on North Centre Street produced Old Export Beer and Gamecock Ale. The Cumberland Brewing Company was the oldest major brewery that operated in Cumberland, and was purchased by Queen City Brewing Company in 1958. It was the last surviving brewery in Cumberland before it closed its doors in 1976.
The Queen City Brewing Company, aka German Brewing Company, (1901–1976) which operated on Market Street, produced Old German Beer Premium Lager. In the 1970s Pittsburgh Brewing Company
Pittsburgh Brewing Company
The Iron City Brewing Company is a beer company that until August 2009 had been located in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. On June 11, 2009, it was reported that the brewery was "moving" to Latrobe, Pennsylvania...

acquired the Queen City Brewing Company. At its peak, the Queen City brewery produced over 250,000 barrels of beer and ale a year in Cumberland.

Glass industry

Glass manufacturing played an important role in the growth of Cumberland from 1880 to 1930. The Warren Glass Works Company located in South Cumberland, and the Cumberland Glass Works located at the west end of North Mechanic Street, were established in the early 1880s and would become the two major glass making firms. The industry used local coal as an economical fuel, and native pure silica sandstone in the making of the glass. At the peak of production, around 1920, well over 1,000 people were employed in the glass factories and decorating shops. The onset of the Great Depression

Great Depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

, coupled with the destruction of seven factories by fire dealt the glass industry in Cumberland a fatal blow. Recently, however, a glass decorating business opened in the city, using some equipment from the former companies.

Cumberland Glass Manufacturers:

1884-1905: Cumberland Glass Works (1884–1905), National Glass Company (1889–1905), Wellington Glass (1908–1920)
1880-1913: Warren Glass Works Company(1880–1889), South Cumberland Glass (1889–1890), Queen City Glass (1890–1909), Eastern Glass (1909–1913),
1893-1930: Maryland Glass Etching Company
1895-1896: Enterprise Glass Decorating
1904-1924: Potomac Glass
1911-1912: Cumberland Glass Tube Company
1918-1935: Maryland Glass
1936-1938: Maryland Glass Inc., formerly Maryland Glass
1938-1941: NU Glass
1923-1926: C. A. Borchert
1926-1926: Queen City Glass
1927-1928: Braddock Glass - LaVale, Maryland
1927-1928: Zihlman Glass
1928-1929: Independent Glass - LaVale, Maryland
1930-1932: Sloan Glass
1931-1933: Eichner Cut Glass
1932-1956: Cumberland Glass - LaVale, Maryland
1956-1961: Cumberland Glass - Mount Savage, Maryland
Mount Savage, Maryland
Mount Savage is an unincorporated community in Allegany County, Maryland, United States. A small blue-collar community, Mount Savage lies at the base of Big Savage Mountain in the Allegheny Mountains, between the cities of Frostburg and Cumberland...
1932-1987: Queen Glass - LaVale, Maryland
1935-1961: Kortwright, Nehring, Weaver Inc
1935-1956: Sloan Glass
1956-1968: Sloan Glass - Green Spring, West Virginia
Green Spring, West Virginia
Green Spring is an unincorporated census-designated place and railroad town in Hampshire County, West Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 218. Green Spring is located north of Springfield on Green Spring Road near the confluence of the North and South Branches of the Potomac...
1953-1972: Oglebay Glass
1954-1992 PPG Cumberland Works No. 7 - Constructuted in 1953 by the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, the Works No. 7 Plant manufactured plate glass in Cumberland from 1953 to 1981. In 1981, the No. 7 manufacturing facility was shut down and used as a research and development facility until 1992.
1956-1968: Knocke Cut Glass.

Tire industry

As coal production diminished in the first quarter of the 20th century, the automobile industry moved into Cumberland and promised new jobs for former miners. Kelly-Springfield Tire Company opened a tire manufacturing plant in Cumberland in 1921. At its peak the company employed well over 2,000 people. The new plant site comprised 81 acres (327,795.7 m²). Fourteen years later, in 1935, the company was sold to Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, which operated Kelly-Springfield as a wholly owned subsidiary.

In 1987, just 66 years after it made the first Kelly-Springfield tire in Cumberland, the plant was closed. In that same year the Lee Tire & Rubber Company came under the control of Kelly-Springfield. The company's corporate offices were moved to a new facility on Willowbrook Road in Cumberland. The original plant site was returned to the City of Cumberland. Much of the factory and most of the outbuildings have been torn down. The site now houses a branch of the Cumberland YMCA

YMCA

The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...

and the Riverside Industrial Park.

Textile industry

Amcelle: Cumberland Celanese Facility (1924–1983).

In 1917, prior to the US entry into World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, the U.S. War Department

United States Department of War

The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...

negoiated with Swiss inventor and businessman Camille Dreyfus to establish an acetate

Cellulose acetate

Cellulose acetate , first prepared in 1865, is the acetate ester of cellulose. Cellulose acetate is used as a film base in photography, as a component in some adhesives, and as a frame material for eyeglasses; it is also used as a synthetic fiber and in the manufacture of cigarette filters and...

lacquer (commonly called "acetate dope

Aircraft dope

thumb|right|[[United Kingdom military aircraft serials|2699]] a [[World War I]] [[Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2]] finished in a clear dopeAircraft dope is a plasticised lacquer that is applied to fabric-covered aircraft...

") production facility in Cumberland. At that time, acetate dope was needed by the aircraft

Aircraft

An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...

industry to coat and stretch the fabric on aircraft fuselages. The American Cellulose & Chemical Manufacturing Company

Celanese

Celanese Corporation is a Fortune 500 global technology and specialty materials company with its headquarters in Dallas, Texas. The company is a leading producer of acetyl products, which are intermediate chemicals for nearly all major industries, and is the world's largest producer of vinyl...

began construction of the Cumberland facility in 1918, but the war was over before the plant could be completed. As a result, production at the Cumberland factory was shifted from producing acetate dope for the military to production of cellulose acetate yarn

Cellulose acetate

for the textile industry. The first acetate yarn spun in America was on Christmas Day, 1924, at the Cumberland plant. The company introduced the word "Celanese

Celanese

," a portmanteau of "cellulose" and "ease," as a trade name in 1925, and the company itself took this name in 1927. Celanese acetate was introduced as "Artificial Silk." In 1926, a weaving mill was established in the Cumberland plant to develop acetate-containing fabrics on a commercial scale. This mill included equipment that could dye and weave the new fibers successfully. In 1974, Celanese established a Cytrel Tobacco Supplement

Cytrel

Cytrel is a cellulose-based tobacco substitute used in some low-tar cigarette brands, famously comprising 25% of the Silk Cut brand.Development began on a replacement for tobacco in cigarettes in the 1950s, to reduce 'undesirable tobacco smoke components' present in cigarettes...

plant in Cumberland with a peak capacity of 20 million lbs a year. The company closed its Cumberland plant in 1983.

Post-industrial

The 20th century witnessed major changes in Cumberland's economy. Losing out to competition from the faster-moving railroad, the C&O Canal declined in importance until it closed in 1924. The railroad industry also suffered from competition from other modes of transportation in the 20th century. Traditional industries such as glass making, textiles, and breweries lost ground or disappeared. Nevertheless, manufacturing remained the major source of employment in the city and Allegany County as a whole until the mid-1980s.

Plant layoffs and closures during the 1970s and 1980s signaled industrial decline for the city, reaching its nadir with the final closures of the Celanese and Kelly-Springfield plants. A major reason for these closures was the emergence of new technologies that rendered older industrial processes and equipment obsolete. In the 1990s, Kelly-Springfield was absorbed by parent company Goodyear and moved its corporate headquarters to Akron, Ohio

Akron, Ohio

Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...

, another setback for the city’s economy. Of the "Big Four" employers, only NewPage

NewPage Corporation

NewPage Corporation, based in Miamisburg, Ohio, is a leading producer of coated paper in North America.The company produces coated papers in sheets and rolls with many finishes and weights to offer design flexibility for a wide array of end uses...

(formerly MeadWestvaco

MeadWestvaco

MeadWestvaco Corp. is an American packaging solutions company based in Richmond, Virginia. It has approximately 23,000 employees. In February 2006, it moved its corporate headquarters to Richmond, Virginia...

) remains a significant provider of manufacturing jobs at its Luke Mill Plant, located about 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Cumberland in Luke, Maryland

Luke, Maryland

Luke is a town in Allegany County, Maryland, United States located along the Georges Creek Valley. Known originally as West Piedmont, the town is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 80 at the 2000 census....

.

Cumberland experienced the same fate as many American cities in the latter quarter of the 20th century. Many industries closed their doors, leading to significant out-migration during this period, but Cumberland natives remained resilient.

Today, the population of the Cumberland area has stabilized, with a small decline in the city's population due primarily to sprawling

Urban sprawl

Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...

of residents into the rural areas outside the city limits.

Many service-related industries have emerged over the past 20 years, particularly in the areas of tourism and entertainment, focusing around Cumberland's rich history, natural beauty, and cultural resources. Between 2001 and 2005 alone, the Cumberland arts, entertainment, and recreation industry has grown by 29.2 percent.

Cumberland's economy has yet to significantly recover from the setbacks of the late 20th century. The Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area is one of the poorest in the nation, ranked 305th out of 318 metropolitan areas in per capita income.

Timeline for Cumberland

1728: Earliest record of a settlement along Wills Creek
Wills Creek (North Branch Potomac River)
Wills Creek is a tributary of the North Branch Potomac River in Pennsylvania and Maryland in the United States.Wills Creek drops off the Allegheny Mountains of southeastern Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and enters the North Branch Potomac River at Cumberland, Maryland.-History:thumb|220px|Fort...

named after Indian Will
Indian Will
Indian Will is a well-known Native American who lived in a former settlement of the Shawnee Indians at the site of prevent day Cumberland, Maryland in the 18th century. This site was abandoned by the Shawnee's prior to the first white settlers arriving in the region, however 'Indian Will' stayed...
1749: Ohio Company
Ohio Company
The Ohio Company, formally known as the Ohio Company of Virginia, was a land speculation company organized for the settlement by Virginians of the Ohio Country and to trade with the Indians there...

establishes small fortified posts at Wills Creek
Wills Creek (North Branch Potomac River)
Wills Creek is a tributary of the North Branch Potomac River in Pennsylvania and Maryland in the United States.Wills Creek drops off the Allegheny Mountains of southeastern Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and enters the North Branch Potomac River at Cumberland, Maryland.-History:thumb|220px|Fort...

Nemacolin's path
Nemacolin's Path
thumb|450px|[[Braddock's Road|General Braddock's March]] follows or parallel's Chief Nemacolin's Trail from the Potomac River to the Monogahela. The wagon negotiable route from the summit to [[Redstone Creek]] was bypassed by Braddock...

blazed and cleared by Nemacolin, a Delaware chief, and Thomas Cresap
Thomas Cresap
Colonel Thomas Cresap was an English-born pioneer settler in the state of Maryland, and an agent of Lord Baltimore in the Maryland-Pennsylvania boundary dispute. During the dispute, Cresap became a notorious figure in the Conejohela Flats areathe Susquehanna Valley in the area south of Wright's...

, a Maryland frontiersman for the Ohio Company
Ohio Company
The Ohio Company, formally known as the Ohio Company of Virginia, was a land speculation company organized for the settlement by Virginians of the Ohio Country and to trade with the Indians there...
1754: Fort Cumberland
Fort Cumberland (Maryland)
thumb|380px|Fort Cumberland, 1755 Fort Cumberland was an 18th century frontier fort at the current site of Cumberland, Maryland, USA...

constructed by militiamen. French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...

begins
1755: Braddock Expedition
Braddock expedition
The Braddock expedition, also called Braddock's campaign or, more commonly, Braddock's Defeat, was a failed British military expedition which attempted to capture the French Fort Duquesne in the summer of 1755 during the French and Indian War. It was defeated at the Battle of the Monongahela on...

launched from Fort Cumberland to capture Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne was a fort established by the French in 1754, at the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers in what is now downtown Pittsburgh in the state of Pennsylvania....

from the French. Braddock Road cut through the wilderness following Nemacolin's path
Nemacolin's Path
thumb|450px|[[Braddock's Road|General Braddock's March]] follows or parallel's Chief Nemacolin's Trail from the Potomac River to the Monogahela. The wagon negotiable route from the summit to [[Redstone Creek]] was bypassed by Braddock...
1755: George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

appointed Commander of the Virginia Regiment stationed at Fort Cumberland following General Braddock's death
1775: American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

(1775–1783)
1789: Allegany County, Maryland
Allegany County, Maryland
Allegany County is a county located in the northwestern part of the US state of Maryland. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 75,087. Its county seat is Cumberland...

created from Washington County, Maryland
Washington County, Maryland
Washington County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering southern Pennsylvania to the north, northern Virginia to the south, and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia to the south and west. As of the 2010 Census, its population is 147,430...

.
1795: Federal government sited post office at Cumberland
1799: First Allegany County Public School incorporated
1811: National Road
National Road
The National Road or Cumberland Road was the first major improved highway in the United States to be built by the federal government. Construction began heading west in 1811 at Cumberland, Maryland, on the Potomac River. It crossed the Allegheny Mountains and southwestern Pennsylvania, reaching...

construction begins following the same route as Braddock Road from Fort Cumberland
Fort Cumberland (Maryland)
thumb|380px|Fort Cumberland, 1755 Fort Cumberland was an 18th century frontier fort at the current site of Cumberland, Maryland, USA...

to Fort Necessity
1812: War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
1815: City of Cumberland incorporated
1818: National Road
National Road
The National Road or Cumberland Road was the first major improved highway in the United States to be built by the federal government. Construction began heading west in 1811 at Cumberland, Maryland, on the Potomac River. It crossed the Allegheny Mountains and southwestern Pennsylvania, reaching...

completed from Cumberland to Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
1828: Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal, and occasionally referred to as the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 parallel to the Potomac River in Maryland from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington, D.C. The total length of the canal is about . The elevation change of...

construction begins
1835: Georges Creek Coal and Iron Company
Georges Creek Coal and Iron Company
The Georges Creek Coal and Iron Company is a defunct coal mining, iron producer and railroad company that operated in Maryland from 1835 to 1863.-Iron furnace:The company was formed in 1835, and chartered in the state of Maryland on March 29, 1836...

formed
1839: National Road
National Road
The National Road or Cumberland Road was the first major improved highway in the United States to be built by the federal government. Construction began heading west in 1811 at Cumberland, Maryland, on the Potomac River. It crossed the Allegheny Mountains and southwestern Pennsylvania, reaching...

completed from Cumberland to Vandalia, Illinois
Vandalia, Illinois
Vandalia is a city in Fayette County, Illinois, United States, northeast of St. Louis, on the Kaskaskia River. From 1819 to 1839 it served as the state capital of Illinois. Vandalia was the western terminus of the National Road. Today it is the county seat of Fayette County and the home of the...
1842: Baltimore & Ohio Railroad reaches Cumberland
1850: Chesapeake & Ohio Canal reaches Cumberland
1850: Emmanuel Episcopal Church
Emmanuel Episcopal Church (Cumberland)
thumb|rightThe Emmanuel Episcopal Church of Cumberland, Maryland located in Cumberland's Historic District, is built on the foundations of Fort Cumberland, where George Washington began his military career; earthworks from the fort still lie beneath the church...

built
1861: American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

(1861–1865)
1862: Confederate cavalry entered Cumberland
1871: Queen City Hotel
Queen City Hotel
The Queen City Hotel was constructed in 1871 by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in Cumberland, Maryland to serve both as a train station and as a destination. Hosting 174 rooms, it also had such features as formal gardens with a fountain, a ballroom and 400-seat dining room...

built
1872: Allegany County is the third most populated county in the state leading to the formation of Garrett County, Maryland
Garrett County, Maryland
Garrett County is the westernmost county of the U.S. state of Maryland. Created from Allegany County, Maryland in 1872 it was the last Maryland county to be formed. It was named for John Work Garrett , railroad executive, industrialist, and financier. Garrett served as president of the Baltimore...

from Allegany County, Maryland
Allegany County, Maryland
Allegany County is a county located in the northwestern part of the US state of Maryland. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 75,087. Its county seat is Cumberland...
1873: Allegany County coal miners established Protective and Benevolent Association
1873: Baltimore & Ohio Railroad opens Deer Park Hotel
Deer Park Hotel
thumb|Deer Park Hotel - Main House - 1892thumbFollowing the American Civil War, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad created a vacation resort in the Appalachian Mountains of Western Maryland, in the small town of Deer Park, Maryland...

, Garrett County
1874: City Hall & Academy of Music built (destroyed by fire in 1910)
1877: Baltimore & Ohio Railroad strike
Great railroad strike of 1877
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 began on July 14 in Martinsburg, West Virginia, United States and ended some 45 days later after it was put down by local and state militias, and federal troops.-Economic conditions in the 1870s:...

; workers went on strike along line and stopped rail service at Cumberland, rioters attacked state troops in Baltimore that were headed to Cumberland
1878: History of Cumberland (Maryland) published by Lowdermilk
1880: Warren Glass Works Company founded (operating until 1913 under various names)
1884: Cumberland Glass Works founded (operating until 1920 under various names)
1889: Floodwaters inundated Cumberland
1890: Cumberland Brewing Company founded (1890–1958)
1890: Second National Bank constructed on Baltimore St
1891: Cumberland Electric Railway Opened (1891–1924)
1893: old Allegany Courthouse burns down, City Hall used as temporary Courthouse
1893: Construction of new Allegany Courthouse designed by Wright Butler
Wright Butler
Wright Butler was a prominent architect in Cumberland, Maryland, United States.Born as the son of a furniture manufacturer, Butler studied architecture at the Maryland Institute of Baltimore for three years beginning in 1888...

begins
1897: Rosenbaum Brothers Department Store
Rosenbaum Brothers Department Store
Rosenbaum Brothers Department Store in its prime was one of the largest department stores between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1848 in the City of Cumberland, Maryland along Baltimore Street, the Rosenbaum Department store once employed over 200 people...

built (1899–1973)
1901: German Brewing Company founded (1901–1976)
1906: Western Maryland Railway
Western Maryland Railway
The Western Maryland Railway was an American Class I railroad which operated in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. It was primarily a coal hauling and freight railroad, with a small passenger train operation. The WM became part of the Chessie System in 1973 and ceased operating its lines...

reaches Cumberland
1910: City Hall and Academy of Music
Cumberland, Maryland City Hall & Academy of Music
The Academy of Music was a civic theater and the first city hall for the city of Cumberland, Allegany County, Maryland. It was a grand building with thick walls, high from street to roof crest, and was high to the top of the tower. At the time, the building was built for a cost of $127,000...

destroyed by fire
1911: Present day City Hall built
1911: Brush Tunnel
Brush Tunnel
Brush Tunnel is a 914-foot railroad tunnel located about west of Corriganville, Maryland.It was built in 1911 by the Western Maryland Railway, and is currently used by the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, a tourist railroad running between Frostburg and Cumberland, Maryland, as well as the...

finished
1912: First National Bank constructed on Baltimore St
1912: Cumberland Bone Cave
Cumberland Bone Cave
The Cumberland Bone Cave is a fossil-filled cave along the western slope of Wills Mountain on the outskirts of Cumberland, Maryland near Corriganville in Allegany County, Maryland. In 1912 workers excavating a cut for the Western Maryland Railway along Andy's Ridge broke into the partly filled cave...

discovered
1913: Western Maryland Railway Station
Western Maryland Railway Station (Cumberland, Maryland)
Western Maryland Railway Station is a historic railway station in Cumberland, Allegany County, Maryland. It was built in 1913 as a stop for the Western Maryland Railway , and is a large commercial-style building that expresses the architectural functionalism of the turn of the 20th century...

opens
1914: World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

(1914–1918)
1917: Fort Cumberland Hotel built
1921: The Kelly Springfield Tire Company
The Kelly Springfield Tire Company
The Kelly-Springfield Tire Company was founded in Springfield, Ohio by Edwin Kelly and Arthur Grant in 1894.-Formation:Edwin Kelly originally called the company The Rubber Tire Wheel Company because it made rubber carriage wheels. Arthur Grant was issued for his solid rubber tire in a rim channel...

opens tire factory in Cumberland
1921: Anna C. McCleave becomes one of the first police and fire commissioners in the United States when the Cumberland City Council and Mayor selected her to fill an unexpired term.
1924: first acetate yarn spun in America at Cumberland Amcelle factory
1924: Floods in Cumberland
1929: Stock market crash ushers in the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
1936: Congress of Industrial Organizations
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, proposed by John L. Lewis in 1932, was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 required union leaders to swear that they were not...

(CIO) strike led to riot, Cumberland
1936: Floods at Cumberland, National Guard called in
1939: Chesapeake and Ohio Canal opened as national park
1939:World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

(1939–1945)
1942: Floods in Cumberland
1950: Cumberland flood control system construction begins (finished in 1959)
1964: A B-52 Stratofortress
B-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...

carrying two nuclear bombs crashes 17 miles (27.4 km) southwest of Cumberland.
1972: Queen City Hotel
Queen City Hotel
The Queen City Hotel was constructed in 1871 by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in Cumberland, Maryland to serve both as a train station and as a destination. Hosting 174 rooms, it also had such features as formal gardens with a fountain, a ballroom and 400-seat dining room...

demolished to make way for Interstate 68
Interstate 68
Interstate 68 is a Interstate highway in the U.S. states of West Virginia and Maryland, connecting in Morgantown to in Hancock. is also Corridor E of the Appalachian Development Highway System. From 1965 until the freeway's construction was completed in 1991, it was designated as...
1972: Washington Street Historic District
Washington Street Historic District (Cumberland, Maryland)
The Washington Street Historic District is a national historic district in Cumberland, Allegany County, Maryland. It is an approximately residential area to the west of downtown Cumberland and consists primarily of six blocks of Washington Street...

nominated to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
1976: Baltimore St paved with bricks creating an outdoor pedestrian mall
1981: Country Club Mall
Country Club Mall
Country Club Mall is a shopping mall located in La Vale, Maryland, a suburb of Cumberland, Maryland in Allegany County, Maryland. The mall has 47 retail units, as well as 5 vendor stands on the main concourse. The largest retailers in the mall are Wal-Mart, the Bon-Ton, Sears, and JCPenney...

opens
1983: Downtown Cumberland is designated a historic district by the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
1993: Canal Place
Canal Place
Canal Place is a park owned by the State of Maryland and located in Cumberland, MD. The park includes the Western Maryland Railway Station, station plaza, a picnic area, a canal boat replica, a pedestrian bridge to George Washington’s Headquarters , picnic area, Shops at Canal Place, and the...

Heritage Area established
1996: The Great Snowstorm of '96
2006: Great Allegheny Passage
Great Allegheny Passage
The Great Allegheny Passage is a rail trail in Maryland and Pennsylvania. It is the central part of a several-hundred-mile long network of long-distance hiker-biker trails through the Allegheny region of the Appalachian Mountains, connecting Washington, D.C...

opens in Cumberland

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