Local Attractions

Maryland’s most-visited National Park, the C&O Canal National Historical Park, features a Visitor’s Museum at Canal Place with a life-size replica of a canal boat and extensive interpretive exhibits on the canal’s construction, locks, aqueducts, mules, and crews. The park is home to the connection between the two internationally-recognized bike trails; the C&O Canal Towpath and the Great Allegheny Passage, part of a system of bike trails that stretch 333 miles from Washington, DC, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Emmanuel Episcopal Church is in Cumberland’s Historic District and is built on the foundations of Fort Cumberland, where George Washington began his military career; earthworks from the fort (built in 1755) still lie beneath the church. Although the Emmanuel parish dates from 1803, the cornerstone of the current native sandstone building was laid in 1849 and completed in 1851. The church contains original Tiffany stained-glass windows from three different periods and a scale model of Fort Cumberland.

Standing at the eastern end of the Washington Street Historic District, it is one of Maryland’s examples of early Gothic Revival architecture. The church was constructed around 1850 and designed by Philadelphia architect John Notman. It is modeled after St. Paul’s Church in Brighton, England. The design is typical ecclesiastical architecture of the second quarter of the 19th century, especially that of the Episcopal Church.

For a tour of the grounds and church, visit https://emmanuelparishofmd.org/tour-reservations/

The church and parish house sit on land that was originally Fort Cumberland, which served as a frontier outpost during the French and Indian War. The only building to remain from the fort is the small cabin that was used by George Washington as his headquarters when he was in the Cumberland area with his Virginia troops. It has been moved to nearby Riverside Park.

Brooke Whiting amassed his collection of art from world traveling, worldwide associations with prestigious antique dealers and auction houses, and through inheritance from his sister Anne Whiting, his life partner Wesley Griswold, and his parents Brooke and Ruth Whiting.

Brooke Whiting was born on December 5, 1918 to F. Brooke I and Ruth White Whiting of 632 Washington Street, Cumberland, Maryland. His father was a prominent attorney in Cumberland; his mother was the daughter of Warren C. White, a former mayor of Cumberland and founder of the German Brewing Company.

Brooke II had a successful and impressionable career. He attended the University of Virginia for his undergraduate studies and attained his Bachelor’s Degree in 1941. From August 1951 – June 1956 he was principal librarian assistant for the Clark Library of UCLA. Next, he attended Columbia University and acquired his Master’s in Library Sciences in 1957 and returned to UCLA. His career initiated as Literary Manuscripts Librarian and followed in 1971 as Curator of Rare Books and Assistant Director of Special Collections. He retired in April 1983 after over thirty years of service with UCLA.

Even though he served for thirty-two years as Curator of Rare Books and Literary Manuscripts for UCLA, he never forgot his deep roots in Allegany County. He spent the holiday season in his native town and hosted fabulous cocktail parties in his childhood home. In addition, he visited the Gordon-Roberts House, the headquarters of the Allegany County Historical Society located at 218 Washington St. Despite residing in California, he remained a faithful member of the Allegany County Historical Society. In fact his parents were instrumental in founding the society. In 1982 Brooke honored the memory of his parents and their fervor for the Society by donating pieces of their furniture to the Gordon-Roberts House Museum.

Brooke’s desire to preserve Cumberland’s history and traditions via contributions to the Historical Society extended beyond his membership dues and donating some of his parents antique furnishings. He deeply wished to provide the community with remnants of his rich heritage and the exquisite and historically valuable collections amassed in his lifetime from world traveling, worldwide associations with prestigious antique dealers and auction houses, and inheritance from his life-partner Wesley S. Griswold. Thus, upon his death in 1998, he bequeathed his Cumberland house and its contents to the Society on the condition that his home be opened as a museum. Fully aware of the financial struggles and bleak funding facing the museum world, he left a substantial endowment that guarantees his legacy will be viewed in perpetuity by visitors locally and abroad.

After selective heart surgery, Brooke developed an infection and died on July 27, 1998 at St. John’s Health Center in Los Angeles. His cremated remains rest at Rose Hill Cemetery in Cumberland.

George Washington’s Headquarters at Fort Cumberland is one of the region’s most significant Revolutionary-era landmarks. The historic log cabin—originally constructed between 1755 and 1758 by General Edward Braddock’s troops—served as quarters for then-Colonel George Washington during the French and Indian War, marking his first military command. Washington later returned to the site in 1794, as Commander in Chief, to review troops assembled to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion—making this location a rare touchpoint across multiple defining moments in early American history. Now situated within Riverside Park near its original hilltop location overlooking Wills Creek and the Potomac River, the cabin is the only surviving structure from Fort Cumberland. While the interior is not open for entry, visitors can view interpretive displays through the windows, offering a glimpse into 18th-century military life. Today, the site stands as a powerful and accessible connection to the early leadership of George Washington and the formative years of the United States.

Plan your next outdoor adventure on the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage! Spectacular scenery awaits!

The house is one of a small group of Second Empire style homes located in the Washington Street Historical District.

The Gordon-Roberts House was built in 1867 by Josiah Hance Gordon, a prominent attorney in Cumberland. Mr.Gordon had moved to the Cumberland area in 1842, when he commenced to study law at the firm of McKaig and McKaig. In 1869 Mr. Gordon became president of the C & O Canal. He was appointed Associate Judge of the Circuit Court in 1883. Mr. Gordon remained in the public eye throughout his long and illustrious career. He died suddenly on August 13, 1887 and is buried at Rose Hill Cemetery in Cumberland.

The second and last family to live in the house was the W. Milnor Roberts II family who lived in the home for over sixty years. Mr. Roberts was an engineer involved in building railroads. Besides being a successful businessman, Mr. Roberts was an accomplished violinist and had a workshop on the third floor of the house where he crafted violins. During the Roberts tenure “the home was the scene of many brilliant and festive occasions.”

The Allegany County Historical Society purchased the home from the Roberts’ estate in 1954. The Second Empire style home is operated as a house museum and is opened to the public for tours. Visitors are welcomed by costumed tour docents that escort them along three floors of the home illustrating the lifestyle of an upper-middle class family of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.

Built to haul coal out of Maryland and West Virginia, the Western Maryland Railway was one of the great railroads of the Appalachian Mountains. Today the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad has revived the mountain spirit of Western Maryland, and one can now experience the scenic Allegheny Mountains from inside a comfortable streamline era passenger car.

Our year-round steam or diesel trains depart from Cumberland and travel to the mountain town of Frostburg. As your train climbs along the mountainside you will pass through cuts, over streams through a 914ft Tunnel, and be treated to some of the best vistas rural Maryland has to offer.

Dine out on Maryland’s only rolling restaurant as our evening trains offer a variety of experiences. The Allegheny Mountain Dinner train offers three-course meals, cooked fresh onboard the trains. Live entertainment on our Sunset on the Mountain trains is perfect for a date night out and our Murder Mystery Dinner Train is always a popular favorite during the summer months.

Popular with our local communities and visitors alike, our Ice Cream Trains, Pumpkin Patch, Polar Express, and other family fun rides provide memorable experiences for all to enjoy. Join the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad today for a trip on one of America’s favorite train rides.