allegany museum

I was very surprised by how nice this museum is. Stopped by during the holidays and found a lot of interesting collections relating to the the local history. Also, live music in a large room. Clean, well put-together and pleasant. I especially enjoyed the window displays of fairy tales, not locally relevant, but very nice to see. The old photos, glass and fire department items were nice, too. Good job!

This museum is located on the 2nd floor of a beautiful older building in the heart of Cumberland, Maryland, and highlights the several industries that once made Cumberland the 2nd largest city in the state of Maryland, Baltimore- the King City- being the largest. Thus, Cumberland became known as Queen City, and many industries incorporated this name. The museum owns the building, and municipal offices are tenants on the first floor, providing much-needed revenue to the museum to help it forward its mission. The museum has several exhibit rooms - beautiful glassware made in Cumberland from the early 1900's until the early 60's. Most of these burned down as they were built of wood and glass making requires very high heat for the ovens and fires were common. There were several breweries, two railroads and the C&O Canal transportation terminus,and until 1998 the Kelly Springfield Tire Company had its headquarters in Cumberland. In addition to rooms devoted to these industries, there was a room of historical fire fighting memorabilia (including an old horse-drawn hand pump wagon), as well as a room displaying hand carved wooden items made by the patriarch of a local Amish family named Yoder. (A very famous bird carver named Gary Yoder still lives in Garrett County, Maryland and his work is known world-wide). A charming display in this room is of carved peach pits - the story told was that each day Claude Yoder's wife packed a peach in his lunch, and after he ate the peach, he would wash the pit and begin whittling!If you are here in the morning or at lunch, stop in the Cumberland Café on the first floor of the building. Small, but great sandwiches! Also, a caveat for those with accessibility issues ... there is only one handicapped entrance to the building, a ramp in the back of the building. It opens on a parking lot, however, not a single spot is marked for handicapped parking. Every single one is reserved for municipal offices which are on the first floor. And there is only street parking in front of the building, with a few lots that are crowded. When we got into the cafe, however, we were told that if you have a handicapped hangtag or license plate, you could park without a problem in any of the spaces in the back where the ramp is. Would have been nice if they had posted a sign somewhere that told us that before we made the arduous search for a space and had to walk a block and then climb a flight of stairs. If you have a few hours to spare, this is worth a visit.

We stopped by to check out the fireman's Museum. Was surprised to find other things there. Nice display of Kelly tires. The glassware factory & the old German beer factory were also displayed.Nice little hour side trip with really helpful staff. A must see if you are in Cumberland.

Was along out walking route to the Steam Train and we had a little time to kill. Had some very interesting items tied the area history including a display of glass and history of Kelly Tires. Also some interesting info on the National Road. No admission fee but they request donations. 30 min ideal 1 hour tops

We had a great afternoon Sunday afternoon (1-4) talking with the curator of the museum and viewing the many parts of the history of Cumberland, Maryland. What a rich heritage. The first exhibit we viewed was the glassware. In its heyday the area had 26 glass making companies. Hard to imagine, but the specimens on display were of the highest quality and beautiful to view. Then we moved into the Claude Yoder room. This man was a woodworker/whittler. From very large to very small he is quoted as saying the wood would tell him what they wanted to be and he couldn't pass a wood pile without seeing something there. A portrait of him by his son is displayed. He finished it the day his father died. In the effort of expanding commerce there is a great section on the B&O Railroad and the Chesapeake, Ohio Canal and the beginning of the National highway. Jefferson envisioned the highway but it took a couple of generations to be made. great endeavors for this isolated section of Maryland. One of the main manufacturers in Cumberland was the Kelly Springfield Tire Company. There are several rooms attributed to this company and how it shifted to munitions making during the war then went back to tire manufacturing following the war. Another manufacturer noted is the Garrett Clothing and Shoe company. Moving to another area there is a nice exhibit on the fire protection efforts in the Allegany County area. The Evolution of Allegany County is worth the stop as well. One surprise feature is a room called the Sleeping Beauty Exhibition. It has four panels with scenes from the story. You can push and hold a button at each panel to see the puppets move in some way. What a creative curiosity! The archeology of western Maryland along the hall is fascinating, Inhabited 12,000 years ago by first nation occupants with many examples of their tools and lives. One more fascinating piece is the exhibit on Whiskey & Beer production. What a great representation, currently limited to the 2nd floor but soon expanding to areas on the 1st floor. Excellent museum for the size.

Very clean, lots of exhibits, free, well worth the stop. There are exhibits from the time before the Indians to the modern era

Don't be afraid to leave a donation, as this museum houses some rare artifacts and has collections that are off the beaten path--all without an entrance fee. The ladies who run the place are highly informative and are pleasant to chat up.

We stopped here to learn a bit about Cumberland. It was small but very informative. It has a bit of everything for every age. I actually found a display that helped me understand the division of counties through the 1800's . Be sure to go into the grand ballroom! It was well laid out and the volunteer was very knowledgeable would answer questions even though it is a self guided museum. It was sad in some respects to travel through time and see the decline of a beautiful little city. There is no admission fee but there is a free will offering donation box. The museum is on the second floor of the building and has steps and an elevator for access. Suggest you follow up with walking some of the city area and then driving through the old neighborhoods on the hill near the court house. Beautiful views and amazing architecture .

We enjoyed the local history in a well-done format. Worth a stop, especially on a rainy day. Free will donation.

The museum is very tastefully done. The rooms beckon you to come in and browse. We have been several times. Some of the displays are the same and some are changed. We like it.

After touring the entire museum I was left with a sense of sadness for the people who saw the rise and fall of this lovely city. Seeing pictures of the city at its heights of prosperity had a very surreal impact. This museum says the story of all the people of Cumberland.

Although not what you would call 'extensive,' the museum's well thought out and very well executed displays about local industry and buisnesses was time well spent (approx. 1 hour) to learn a bit more about Cumberland's industries and buisnesses and character over the years. And the price was more than right! (No fee, just a donation box.)

Our Museum of American Glass 2012 Glass Gathering activity was held in the Museum. What an awesome experience! The Museum was extrememly accommodating to our group of 88 and went out of their way to make it 'all about glass' for us. The remaning parts of the Museum are very much worth the stop. My grandgirls would have loved the 'Sleeping Beauty' exhibit. There is something for everyone in all the exhibits.

The Allegany Museum is free and if you are interested in a bit of history. It's worth the time. It's small, but very nice.

What can you expect from a small town? This museum is pretty neat I'll have to admit, but it is really small, there should be a lot more exhibits than what there is. I've been to bigger museums than this.