In 1921 the Cumberland Mayor and City Council voted to have a woman, Anna McCleave, fill the position of Cumberland Police and Fire Commissioner. This was to fill a vacancy created by the death of the elected councilman and would be the first time since the 1835 establishment of a Cumberland City Council that a woman would serve in this position.
Four women have served as Allegany County Commissioner. These include Lucile Roeder (1966-1970), Linda Golden (1947-2011) (appointed 1977, elected 1982-1986), Adrienne Ottaviani (1990-1994), and Barbara Roque (2002-2006).
Photographs clockwise from top left - Lucile Roeder, Linda Golden, Barbara Roque, and Adrienne Ottaviani.
Mrs. Wittman was an artist who over the years captured local history on canvas. In 1988 and in 1993 she collaborated with one of the authors of this site in the production of signed and numbered limited edition prints portraying historic sites in Allegany County and Garrett County, respectively. One of these, from Garrett County, is also depicted. The following is an excerpt from an obituary which appeared in the May 1, 2017 edition of the Cumberland Times-News:
‘Home sweet home’
— CUMBERLAND — Growing up in Allegany County and singing at local fairs, Sandy Steele never gave much heed to the future or thought she would someday be performing with Ronnie Milsap or Johnny Rodriguez — or having Johnny Carson carry her bags through the Sahara Hotel’s lobby in Las Vegas.
But, in 1968, the Allegany High School graduate and her sister packed their bags and moved to Nashville.
Suzanne Rogers, 1943 -
Since 1945, thirteen women representing Allegany County have gone on to win the title of Miss Maryland:
Born in Lonaconing, Ruth Bear graduated from Central High School in 1917 and earned her bachelor's degree in English from Goucher College, Baltimore in 1921. It was in Baltimore where she met and married her husband, Dr. Charles Levy.
Barbara Hurd, 1949 -
(The following narrative on Barbara Hurd was revised/updated in Spring 2014 at the request of the Maryland Women's Heritage Center as part of an upcoming Fall 2014 exhibit on Women in the Arts.)
Tamela Frazier is the first African-American to win the title of Miss Allegany County.
The Cumberland artist who painted the mural on the interior of the Cumberland City Hall rotunda was Gertrude Du Brau of the Du Brau Art Studio of Cumberland. Gertrude’s father, Herman Du Brau, was born in Peltz, Prussia in 1865, graduated from the Royal Arts Academy in Berlin, with the title "Master of Arts" and came to America, and Baltimore, in 1892. Gertrude, born in 1890, attended the Maryland Institute of Art and Design in Baltimore, and received additional training at the Royal Academy in Leipzig and the Dusseldorf Academy. The Du Braus would relocate to Cumberland in 1913.