Cumberland.
1 City (2020 pop. 19,076), seat of Allegany co., NW Md., on the
North Branch of the Potomac; settled 1750, inc. 1815. It is an important
railroad and shipping center for a coal-mining area. Its manufactures
include textiles, rubber, glass, paper products, and plastics. Cumberland
grew around the site of a trading post established (1750) by the Ohio Company at a natural gateway
through the Appalachians to the Ohio valley. Fort Cumberland (built 1754)
was the base of operations for the ill-fated Braddock expedition (1755) against the
French and Native American forces and the site of Washington's first
military headquarters (1757). The city became the eastern terminus of the
Cumberland Road, or National Road; a
division point for the Baltimore & Ohio RR; and the western terminus
of the Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal (completed 1850), which runs through Green Ridge State
Forest. Other local attractions include the old toll gate house (1833), a
scenic railroad, Canal Place Heritage Area, and the Narrows, a magnificent
gorge through the Appalachians to the Ohio valley. Frostburg State Univ. is
to the west.
2 Town (2020 pop. 36,405 ), Providence co., NE R.I., on the Blackstone River and the
Mass. line; included in Massachusetts until 1746, inc. as a R.I. town 1747.
Its manufactures include textiles and metal and fiberglass products. The
Ballou Meetinghouse dates from c.1740.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. Political Geography
