Allegany County Maryland--Biography

Dr Helen Binnie was the first Physician-Director of Frostburg’s Miners Hospital upon its opening in 1913. The hospital was the first state-supported hospital in the state, and was intended for miners. However, she left after a few months to join her father's private practice in Wisconsin. For some years the hospital had a matron, not a physician in charge.

The following additional information was provided by Garry Ritchie, Curator of the Frostburg Museum in Frostburg, Maryland:

Rosanne Bernstein, Attorney and Businesswoman

Rosanne Bernstein (1922-2017) was sworn in to practice law in Allegany County on October 6, 1941. In this regard she was among the first women to practice law in Allegany County. The following excerpt is from an obituary as it appeared on the Scarpelli Funeral Home website:

Barbara Angle
Barbara Angle was born and raised in the coal-mining region of western Maryland and the grand-daughter of a coal miner. Barbara was a 1965 graduate of St. Peters High School of Westernport, Md. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in history and journalism. She worked as an editor at the Bureau of National Affairs in Washington, D.C., until her return home in 1973.

For almost 100 years since its 1906 origins, the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce and its forerunners were primarily a male-dominated business organization.

In 1994 Sharon Cosgrove became the Chamber’s first female Executive Director and served in this capacity until 1998. At the December 2002 Annual Meeting, Barbara Buehl became the first elected female President of the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce serving in this capacity until April 2003 when she became Executive Director.

Women's March, January 20, 2018

A women’s march was held in Cumberland, Maryland on January 20, 2018. Sponsored by the Women’s Action Coalition of Greater Allegany County and organized by Ellen McDaniel-Weissler, the event consisted of a series of three contiguous rallies and speeches conducted at the Allegany County Courthouse, Canal Place Heritage Area and the Cumberland City Hall. Approximately 150 people attended the events.

Cumberland Ladies of the Ku Klux Klan

As with much of the nation, Allegany County was caught up in the Ku Klux Klan fervor which swept America in the early 1920s. Over 1000 Klansman from the Cumberland area went by a special train to Washington D.C. in 1925 for a national Klan rally and march. Hundreds more from this area went by automobile and bus.

Garrett County Women's Hall of Fame

Garrett County, Maryland was established in 1872. The Garrett County Women's Hall of Fame was established in 1995 to recognize the significant contributions of Garrett County's women throughout the area's history. Up to three women, historical or contemporary, can be selected each year. A selection committee reviews the nominations and makes its recommendations to the Garrett County Commission for Women which administers the program. The inductees are honored at a special event each year.

First Same-sex Marriage License

One of the Maryland ballot questions in the November 6, 2012 General Election was the Civil Marriage Protection Act. This act, which provides for same-sex marriage, was approved state-wide by a margin of 52.4% (1,373,504 voters) to 47.6% (1,246,045 voters). In Allegany County, 65.5%, or 18,927 voters, voted "no", while 9,965 people, or 34.5%, voted for the question.

Phyllis Virginia Williams, 1919 - 1994

Phyllis Virginia Williams was born on May 24, 1919 in Cumberland, Maryland. She was the daughter of the late William Harris and Dora Massy Harris-Allen.

Virginia was a 1936 graduate of Carver School. At an early age, she moved to Detroit, Michigan; where she met and married George D. Williams, Sr. Virginia worked as many females did in one of the many Detroit factories as the men fought in the war.

A native of Buffalo, New York, Betty received her A.B. from Bryn Mawr in 1936 and her M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1941. She located to Frostburg in 1949 with her husband, Dr. William C. Van Newkirk, who came here to accept a teaching position at Frostburg State College.