Mountain Maryland

Cumberland, MD

The Allegheny Mountains wrap around the City of Cumberland like a mother embracing a child, but while this western Maryland town insists on its “City” prefix—a name its history has earned it—Cumberland is nevertheless a hometown by personality.
The town—often called the Queen City—was the state’s second largest community (second only to Baltimore) during the late 1800s and early 20th century. Now, at least a score of Maryland towns has outstripped it—but Cumberland, which today counts 21,518 residents, is still doing fine, thank you.
During its heyday, the City of Cumberland had a busy industrial base with six coal mines, more than a dozen breweries, and factories and businesses spanning the spectrum from tire and glassmaking to steel foundries. It was also a hub of transportation, home to the B&O railroad, the C&O Canal, and the National Road (now Route 40).
Glimpses into Cumberland’s industrial past are evident everywhere. Row after row of two-, three-, and four-story town homes that once housed workers line some streets, while other roads along the hillsides sport the elaborate architecture of Victorian homes and mansions.
Downtown Main Street is a masterpiece of yesteryear. Flanking the street are towering buildings with elaborately carved eaves, ornate facades, and an occasional rooftop guarded by stone gargoyles.
“It’s beautiful here,” says 50-year resident Dorothy Chastain, relaxing on a bench outside the Cumberland Arms Main Street, a senior citizen apartment building. “It’s pretty to look at, and it’s pretty to live in. The whole town, I mean. The hectic world has come and gone from this place. Now it’s just nice and friendly and warm.”
Although the bustle of factory life has all but left Cumberland, the town has secured a place in the future by drawing upon its past. On weekends, several times a day, a reminder of a vanished era echoes through the town with the mournful bellow of the Mountain Thunder—a 1916 Baldwin steam locomotive pulling cars full of passengers as it whistles into the Alleghenies, rolling along the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad.
Thousands visit the area every year for a chance to ride these rails, according to Jenny Krampf, lifelong Cumberland resident and the railroad’s director of marketing.
The three-hour roundtrip train ride, which includes a one-hour layover in Frostburg, takes passengers through a natural cut in the mountains known as the Narrows—once called the Gateway to the West—around horseshoe curves and straight through Piney Mountain via a 914-foot long tunnel constructed in 1911. As the massive black train edges up the mountain, one side parallels rolling hills and green pastures backed by mountains, while the other nearly touches a wall of rock and trees rising high above it.
Local historian Allan Feldstein has ridden the train more times than he can count, and has a similar affection for the town. “We’re attracting smaller businesses and cultural events and organizations,” Feldstein says. “We don’t have the huge industries we once had, but it’s still a city full of friendly people that moves at a slower pace than the rest of the world.”
Rail riders board the train at Canal Place, Maryland’s first certified Heritage Area, located at the historic western terminus of the C&O Canal. An annual C&O CanalFest, hosted by Canal Place, celebrates Cumberland’s transportation history with period artisans and living history demonstrations. Nearly 10 years ago, RailFest was added to the list of town events to commemorate the joining of the B&O and the canal in Cumberland. Visitors enjoy two days of caboose rides, the Great Train Show, and other activities—including bicycling on the old canal towpath. Two years ago, a September Celtic Festival joined Cumberland’s annual roster of heritage events.
“People come here for many reasons—the history, the natural beauty. And a lot of people grow up here, and stay here,” Krampf says. “I’ve lived here all of my life, and I love it.”

Tracy Leinberger-Leonardi is a frequent contributor to American Profile.

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