Posted February 6, 201510 yr (This is my 1,000th UrbanOhio post -- a modest total, given that I am in my 10th year on the forum.) Cumberland is this amazing little city in the tail of Maryland where it's six or seven miles between West Virginia and Pennsylvania. It is where British General Edward Braddock began his ill-fated French and Indian War campaign -- following a trail blazed earlier by George Washington, and building a road with equipment carried in wagons supplied by Benjamin Franklin. U.S. 40, the National Road (originally the Cumberland Road) roughly followed this route. Cumberland had a population over 39,000 in 1940, but is 20,000 and change today. The Romanesque Allegheny County courthouse and several church spires soaring from a hilltop are the first sight of the city from Interstate 68, which forms the southern edge of downtown, in a valley just east of the courthouse hill. Stunning red brick buildings stand hard by the highway. Our tour starts where the highway cuts through a mountain a half hour east of town. I got off the highway and took U.S. 40 as it winds into town 2 3 Looking east up the hill I just came down 4 Looking west through the heart of downtown toward the hill with steeples 5 Note the elevated section of I-68 in the background 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Looking back up the hill 13 14 15 Stepping off the main drag, one block south. Chamber of Commerce -- perhaps an early City Hall? 16 The current City Hall, to the left 17 Some kind of civic center, though it looks like a courthouse 18 19 20 Side street 21 22 Hilltop courthouse in the distance 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Houses on the hill east of downtown -- decidedly more modest than the homes on the courthouse hill to the west 31 Getting ready to cross toward the courthouse 32 Crossing the canal to the courthouse hill. Old B&O depot to the left, and I-68 in the background 33 Masonic Lodge and historical marker 34 Church steeple and courthouse tower 35 Looking back though downtown to the east hill 36 Another view 37 Courthouse 38 Across from the courthouse 39 40 41 Looking back toward downtown 42 Cool old hotel across from downtown 43 44 45 Assorted shots of downtown: Here are a few summer shots I took in Cumberland 10 years ago: FROSTBURG . . . the next exit west of Cumberland. has a population of 9,002 and is home of Frostburg State University on the outskirts. It's also home of the Princess Restaurant, a great little downtown spot where Harry S Truman dined with his wife in the spring of 1953 as he drove his brand new Chrysler New Yorker from Independence, Mo., to Washington and New York -- the last time a U.S. president took a vacation without Secret Service accompaniment. The trip was chronicled in "Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure," by my friend Matthew Algeo. The Princess is a wonderful diner. I stopped there with my family last summer (pictures below) and again last month on the way to D.C. The diner In the Truman Booth One son taking a picture of another son taking a picture of me in the Truman Booth. Can you say "meta?" Sons at a table looking across the street at a cool hotel Downtown Frostburg More downtown, looking east of U.S. 40 toward Cumberland Eldest and youngest sons crossing to the diner Downtown
February 6, 201510 yr Thanks for the pictures. My aunt and uncle lived in Cumberland for five years or so in the late 80's. I don't think I was ever in the downtown. All I remember is that "everything" is on the side of mountain. Cumberland was also home to Kelly-Springfield tire, which was why they lived there on assignment from Goodyear.
February 6, 201510 yr Thanks for the tour. Very interesting. It always amazes me how diverse Maryland is for such a small state. Compare these pics to the area around Baltimore, the DC suburbs, Annapolis and the Bay and shore.
February 7, 201510 yr Wonderful tour. Cumberland is a gem. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
February 11, 201510 yr I've driven through Cumberland countless times on trips to and from DC, but I'd never stopped. It's a really impressive, compact little city. Thanks for sharing your pictures.
February 23, 201510 yr I've driven through Cumberland countless times on trips to and from DC, but I'd never stopped. It's a really impressive, compact little city. Thanks for sharing your pictures. I've wanted to stop every time going through here, but it's either dark by the time I reach Cumberland or there are others in the car who don't want to stop. Thanks for the tour, UrbanSurfin!
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