Civic & Community

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.

Catherine Tross

Died December 26, 1892. Aged 22 years, 6 months, and 9 days. She was a native of Washington, D.C., black, and the wife of Frostburg resident, Isaac Tross.

Marsha Thomas, 1951-2016

The following article appeared in the February 17, 2017 edition of the Cumberland Times-News.

Dapper Dan Club to honor the late Marsha Thomas

CUMBERLAND — The Dapper Dan Club will honor the late Marsha Thomas with the 2016 Henrietta Schwarzenbach Memorial Award for Civic Service at its banquet to be held Feb. 19 at 4 p.m. in the Ali Ghan Shrine Club ballroom.

Dorothy "Dottie" Thomas, 1924-2015

The following obituary is from the June 23, 2015 edition of the Cumberland Times-News. It should be noted that "Dottie" Thomas was a mentor of Albert L. Feldstein who is a collaborator in the development of this website. Her husband, the late Danny Thomas, also helped initiate Feldstein's interest in the writing and self-publication of local and regional history.

CUMBERLAND — Dorothy “Dottie” May Thomas, 90, of Cumberland, passed away Saturday, June 20, 2015, at her home.

Sara Van Lear Shriver, (1845 - 1920) and Henrietta Jane Shriver, (1814 - 1863)

They are both buried in Cumberland’s Rose Hill Cemetery and are, respectively, the grand-mother and great grandmother of Sargent Shriver (1915-2011), who helped create and run the Peace Corps, Special Olympics, and Head Start Programs.