African Americans History

This photograph depicts the students of Frostburg's Park Street, also known as Lincoln School, at what is believed to have been a holiday play celebration. The school was located on a site now occupied by the Compton Science Center and the photograph, from the collection of Darlene Shelton, is believed to be from the 1920s.

The following four vignettes, all from different sources, provide some background and context as it pertains to the evolution of black schools and education in Cumberland, as well as Allegany County in general:

As noted in an article appearing in the August 13, 2016 edition of the Cumberland Times-News, “The Pine Avenue Playground opened as the city’s 'colored' playground in 1933 and members of the local African-American community dug the pool by hand. Even though swings were not added until 1944, the playground was the center of summer life for generations of Cumberland’s black children. Although the city desegregated its playgrounds in 1948, the Pine Avenue Playground remained the 'colored' playground by tradition.

Woodlawn Cemetery

Thanks to the efforts of Joseph Mckenzie (formerly of Cumberland), and Byron Schulten of Cumberland, a vast amount of information pertaining to Cumberland's Woodlawn Cemetery is now located on the historical website, Find A Grave. This is the second Allegany County African American cemetery Joseph and Byron have taken the time to research and catalog, the first being Cumberland's historic Sumner Cemetery. Woodlawn was established some years ago in large measure due to Sumner Cemetery being almost filled.

Romney, West Virginia is located in Hampshire County, about thirty miles south of Cumberland, Maryland. As noted on the sign rewritten below, it was the home of William Washington, who became the first black land developer in West Virginia. The State of West Virginia was established in 1863 after representatives from the 40 western counties which had opposed secession separated from Virginia which had seceded from the Union in 1861.

Washington Place

Historic African American Sites in Washington County

1. Antietam Furnace, Sharpsburg - Manufacturer of bar iron products. The furnace was built in 1768 and produced goods for the Revolutionary War. The furnace was a large slave owner during its tenure and also employed many free blacks. The furnace closed in 1858. It reopened after the Civil War but finally closed in 1886.

The town of Pompey Smash is between Midland and Clarysville in Western Allegany. This is the story of how it got its name.

Pine Avenue Girls on Parade

This photograph is from 1957 and depicts a contingent of little girls representing Pine Avenue Playground. The young ladies are marching west on Baltimore Street in the Cumberland Intra-City Playground Parade. According to a comment by Faye Cole on the "Remembering Carver" Facebook page, the second pair of girls in line are her cousins, Virginia Beckward Stewart and her sister Toni Ray Beckward Jones.

As noted in an article appearing in the August 13, 2016 edition of the Cumberland Times-News, “The Pine Avenue Playground opened as the city’s 'colored' playground in 1933 and members of the local African-American community dug the pool by hand. Even though swings were not added until 1944, the playground was the center of summer life for generations of Cumberland’s black children. Although the city desegregated its playgrounds in 1948, the Pine Avenue Playground remained the 'colored' playground by tradition.

As noted in an article appearing in the August 13, 2016 edition of the Cumberland Times-News, “The Pine Avenue Playground opened as the city’s 'colored' playground in 1933 and members of the local African-American community dug the pool by hand. Even though swings were not added until 1944, the playground was the center of summer life for generations of Cumberland’s black children. Although the city desegregated its playgrounds in 1948, the Pine Avenue Playground remained the 'colored' playground by tradition.