The City of Cumberland is nestled in the mountains of Western Maryland at the confluence of the Potomac River and Wills Creek. Since Colonial times, Cumberland has been central to the history of the region and, indeed, the history of our country.

Since its pre-historical beginnings as an Algonquin Indian settlement where the Potomac River first becomes navigable, through it's key role in the French and Indian War as Fort Cumberland, then as the  gateway to the Ohio Valley and further Western expansion via Conestoga wagon, railroad and automobile, Cumberland has always found itself the nexus of transportation for the developing nation.

In frontier days, this location was where explorers rendezvoused and fur traders plied their goods. It was from here that Christopher Gist set out to explore the Ohio Valley. 

And Cumberland was where young Colonel Washington met up with General Braddock's British forces as they set out on their fateful campaign to take back Fort Duquesne (today's Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) from the French at the forks of the Ohio River during the French and Indian War. Fort Cumberland served as the main staging location during the French and Indian War and later campaigns.

And when the Federal Government decided to fund the first National Highway, it was in Cumberland where the road began.

When an abundance of natural resources was discovered in the region, the C&O Canal was constructed between Cumberland and Washington, DC, to transport raw materials on flat bottomed boats.

When the railroads began to lay tracks across the country, it was Cumberland that provided the main hub in the Mid-Atlantic region.

The wealth of natural resources combined with the well established transportation infrastructure provided incentives for industry to locate in and around Cumberland. The region prospered through the first quarter of the 20th Century.

But the Great Depression of the 1930's hit the region hard. Then, as coal became less valuable as a resource and when industry converted back to peacetime operations following World War II, Cumberland went into a steady economic decline which continues to this day. Along with the economic decline, the population has declined due to an out migration of the work force.

The result has been that Cumberland's physical appearance remains much like it was in the 1930's, which had been it's heyday. The architecture, both public buildings and residential dwellings, remains largely intact. Contributing to this quaint and antique appearance has been the historic preservation of the downtown business area as well as the Washington Street Historical Preservation District. City plans are underway to preserve more of the business and residential sections throughout the city.

The Allegany Museum is preserving that history too. Our extensive historical collections include physical artifacts and industrial archives, as well as photographs and publications, and they provide rich materials for our exhibits and for research. And we have exciting plans for future development and further expansion of the Museum.

The Allegany Museum will be restoring and renovating the former District Court and Post Office building located at 3 Pershing Street (more information, click on "Plans" in the left column). Once the construction is completed, the Allegany Museum will move into this permanent location, which is directly across from the Scenic Railroad Station at Canal Place. The Allegany Museum will, at that time, take its place as a major "anchor institution" in the Canal Place Heritage Tourism Complex in historic Downtown Cumberland.

View a map of the Canal Place Heritage Tourism Complex, click here.

For an article on Downtown Cumberland's revitalization, click here.

For an article about Cumberland as a tourist destination, click here.

The links to the left will give you more detailed information about the Allegany Museum and the historical region we serve.

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