Cumberland’s City Hall came into being out of the same necessity as so many other municipal buildings in the state: it’s previous incarnation burned to the ground 100 years ago.  In this case, being 2011 it was exactly 100 years ago that the city built this one.

I did some research on this neo-classical  building, and it all leads back to one entry in the historic register, which is so full of architectural details that I cannot hope to summarize their significance in just a few sentences.  So I will provide this link.

I will note that the mural on the inside of the building sounds pretty interesting and, next time I’m there during business hours (which might be tough) I’ll be sure to bring back a picture.

Welcome new contributing photographer, Matt.  As a native of the town, he gives us this photo of a reflective Cumberland storefront taken at a recent reunion.

Here’s a throwback to the past that I found on a Bank in Cumberland.  There’s something about this alarm that makes it seem like it was colorized and stripped from the set of an early gangster movie.  Of course, those gangsters were never smart enough to realize that the best step to take first might have been to disable the alarm.  The bank certainly isn’t hiding its location.     

You may remember that last year after Memorial day MDP visited Dan’s rock, from which today’s picture was also taken.  

  This year MDP took a Memorial day trip to the Southern Eastern Shore, taking plenty of pictures of towns and a festival along the way.  So stay tuned this week for some exciting new territory. 

Becasue I know you wanted more of the first EVER courthouse and post office on the register.

Why not welcome the new postage rate with a picture of a post office.  This one has something unique to offer.  It’s not an upsidedown airplain, but if you click here: you can read about it.

Thanks to everyone who commented yesterday for MDP’s first year celebration.    I really enjoyed reading all of those comments.   It’s funny becasue I was really stressed out about what to post yesterday.  After putting three or four new photos up and then taking them down, I finally decided on another take of the original MDP.   It seems silly now, but at the time it really bothered me.  

However, it made me think of all the other times I’ve chosen one photo over another.  

On the rarest of rare occasions, there are actually two good shots of the same thing.  With that thought in mind, today’s photo is from the opposite side of another recent post.   This one was taken in B&W film on the opposite side of the county courthouse in Cumberland. It was a tough call to choose which one to originally use. 

Maybe I’ll devote the rest of this week to the forgotten bretheren of posted pictures.  Like a directors cut of sorts…but not really at all like that. 

Yesterday’s markers located just down a hill from this building.  I’ll explain why in a minute.

This building is the continuation of our tour of county courthouses.  Today we have the Allegany County courthouse, built after … that’s right…. a fire destroyed the original courthouse, in the late 1800′s.   This courthouse also sits above the location of Fort Cumberland.  Though the fort no longer exists, those markers from yesterday denote the fort’s boundaries.  The church adjacent to this site, which is visible here, is directly over the location of the barracks of the fort.  In fact, in this area, tunnels still exist which were used to move between buildings in the fort.

The fort is significant in that it is a British fort in Maryland, unlike some of the other’s we’ve visited, it was never used by the American government.   It’s also famous as a stopping point in the British attack and retreat from the french as well as for a certain general with wooden teeth and a distaste for cherry trees who was the leader of a regiment there.

Any guess what these are or where they are?   What they may mark? 

Here’s a picture of a lamp post and the top of the Hotel Gunter in downtown Frostburg.   The hotel has a rich history, much of whcih centers on its basement which has been used for game cock fighting, a prison, and a speakeasy.  

Here’s a picture of Baltimore St.  in Cumberland.  This street has been closed off from traffic and serves as sort of a pedestrian mall.  

Here’s another picture from Cumberland.  I don’t know how to describe the arcitecture in the picture any better than the picture itself can do.  However, I can say that this was taken on Baltimore St. in Cumberland, one of the prettiest historic districts in the state.

Just a bench from inside the WM train station in Cumberland.  I really like these old benches.  I was taking a train from Baltimore last week and as I sat in the station, in a nice, but not too comfortable bench, I was reminded of this picture. 

The PawPaw tunnel. 
Well yesterday’s picture came from above this tunnel.  You might not know about the PawPaw tunnel, so I’ll tell you about it.  The C&O canal stretches from Washington DC to Cumberland, MD.  It pretty much follows the Potomac river the entire way. However, the canal builders had a problem when they reached the mountain from which yesterday’s picture was taken.   The solution to their problem was to build this tunnel through it.  The tunnel goes on for half a mile.  There’s never been car or buggy or any other kind of traffic throguh it.  There’s just the canal and the towpath, which was used by the mules dragging the canal boats.  You can walk through the canal, but there are a few things to consider when doing this.  The most important thing to consider is if you want to bring a flashlight.  The answer is yes. 
You see that tiny speck of light at the end of the tunnel?  It stays a little speck for 90% of the trip.   A speck of light half a mile away or a quarter mile on either side actually, offers you NO assistance.   There’s no asphault and there are puddles and mud and drips. 
So, yes you should go through the tunnel.  However, you should be prepared.  Otherwise you might find yourself climbing back over the mountain to get to your car. 

I was about to post a picture of a lamppost in frostburg, but I’m holding off.   Instead here’s a cool fountain in downtown Cumberland.  In downtown Cumberland, Baltimore Street has become a bit of a pedestrian mall with this fountain a few shops, and weekend musical attractions.

The scenenic railway drops you off in Frostburg where you can have a delicious chicken parmesean sandwich, see some train memorabilia, go to a carriage museum, or walk to the University.   In true Maryland fashion, frostburg state with its brick archetecture is much like college park in miniature.   

Well one of the things you can do in Cumberland is ride the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad.  It’s not often that you get to ride a steam train on a historic railway, especially not in your own state.  For $175 you can ride with the engineer.  You can see where I sat. 

Off the highway and 3 miles up a hill, or 3 miles along a road that goes up a hill, you will find Dan’s rock.  The rock, which is actually a collection of rocks that creep out of the mountain like a jetty into the ocean, affords its visitor one of the greatest views imaginable.   It’s really quite unbelievable.  At the top of the hill you will find a parking space, lots of antennas, and then a bunch of graffiti.  At first I wondered where the rock was, but then realized it was right there, just covered in years of graffiti.  There are also carvings.  While they haven’t quite been tested by scientists for accuracy, the carvings claim to have been made as far as 100 or so years ago.  Carvings and spray-paint will also tell you the stories of infidelity by the acquaintances of past visitors.  I’ve learned not to talk to Britney, because she just can’t be trusted.   The whole thing is just surreal, and the view is amazing.    

To continue yesterday’s story. The ending destination was Cumberland.   I think that Cumberland is a very nice town and is certainly very beautiful.   A little trivia, the top employers include the health system, the county government, CSX, and Allegany (proper spelling) college. 

The skyline is riddled with churches, making it quite a site.   Here however, you see a church on the site of the original Ft. Cumberland, and behind it the red County administration building.