Allegany County Maryland--Women

Barbara Jean Hopkins was born in Frostburg, worked as a newspaper carrier, and graduated from Beall High School. Upon graduating from Frostburg State University Barbara worked in a small grocery story prior to qualifying and serving as a railroad engineer for the Western Maryland Railroad/Chessie System. Barbara was one of only a small number of female Chessie engineers at that time.

CUMBERLAND — Maybe it was a Red Hat Lady wanting to announce the date and time of the group’s next meeting. Or it could have been a person from some garden club with information about a tour.
Then again the visitor may have been somebody from the Kiwanis or St. Mary Catholic Church or Rotary or the Women’s Civic Club.

For 39 years, community news about chicken dinners and raffles and card clubs and the like found its way onto the pages of the Cumberland Evening Times and then the Cumberland Times-News after passing across the desk of Debbie Haan.

Dr. Gina Phillips Moran Glick, 1931-2017

The following is an excerpt from an obituary which appeared in the Cumberland Times-News, March 15, 2017. It notes that Dr. Glick among other achievements, was Allegany County’s first Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Director.

Although Dr. Anna Giering was a physician practicing out of Baltimore, Maryland, she advertised widely and frequently throughout the region. Dr. Giering specialized in "diseases of women only". She is included on this Allegany County women's history website because this would seem to indicate a lack of and a need and demand for medical services specific to women in this area.

The ad above appeared in the Friday, May 28, 1897 issue of The Review, a newspaper published in Lonaconing, Maryland. It reads:

DR. ANNA GIERING
REGISTERED PHYSICIAN

Shirley Giarritta, 1935-2022

Shirley received her undergraduate degree in Art Education from Frostburg State University, and her Masters in both Sculpture and Painting and Interior Design from James Madison University. For some years she was Supervisor of Art Education for the Frederick County, Virginia school system, and also taught art at Allegany College.

Sara Roberta Getty, 1880 - 1973

Sara served as Woman’s Editor for the Cumberland Daily News from 1924 to 1942. The following poem was written by her and appeared in the Frostburg Mining Journal, March 18, 1911.

Little Boys of Mine
Dedicated to my little boys, born January 8, 1899; one of whom died ten days later; the other March 20, 1900. At rest in Allegany Cemetery (now Frostburg Memorial Park), Frostburg, Md.

Dear little brown-eyed boys of mine – out in God’s acre sleeping!

Dapper Dan presenting Kathy Getty with Schwarzenbach Memorial Award

The Cumberland Times-News Sat Jan 21, 2012

CUMBERLAND — Kathy Getty, Susquehanna Bank regional president, is this year’s recipient of the Henrietta Schwarzenbach Memorial Civic Service Award to be presented at the 64th Dapper Dan Awards Banquet on Jan. 29.

The Dapper Dan dinner is set to begin at 4 p.m. at the Ali Ghan Shrine Club, with the awards program to start at 5 p.m.

Mrs. C.H. Hamill - Ice-cream

This advertisement appeared in the March 18, 1911 edition of the Frostburg Mining Journal. It is characteristic of the type of newspaper advertisements and many of the small business and entrepreneurial activities undertaken by the women of Frostburg and elsewhere in the early 1900s.

"This Is EXTRA DELICIOUS ICE-CREAM"
Quality our Special Aim and Cleanliness our Special Care.
GOOD soda, GOOD Ice-cream, GOOD Candy and GOOD Cigars have made our reputation.

Three Frostburg Businesswomen

Mrs. Mary Johns was born in Ireland 1868, came to Frostburg with her parents in 1869 and attended the local schools. Widowed in 1904 with five children, Mrs. Johns worked and saved enough money to become a successful Frostburg restaurateur and ice-cream parlor owner. She was known for her "kindly disposition" and courteous employees.

Mrs. Sarah Gunnette was born in 1869 and located to Frostburg in 1894 whereupon she established a "very successful" millinery business. She was the mother of four children, two of whom died in infancy.

Grace Fisher, 1888-1954

Considered a brilliant businesswoman, Grace M. Fisher was a true pioneer in downtown Cumberland’s development as an entertainment center. From the mid-1920s and well into the late 1950s she was a dominant figure in Cumberland’s movie theatre establishment. Those who knew her credit this success to her knowledge of films, technology, and business dealings within the movie theater and film industry.