Settled on the banks of the Potomac River, Cumberland has watched time and progress stream through since its days as a fort in the colonial wilderness. Ascending the throne as the "Queen of the Alleghenies," the town became an essential transportation and industrial hub throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Serving as the starting point for the National Road, the western terminus of the C&O Canal, and an important link along the B&O and Western Maryland Railroads, Cumberland attracted dozens of industries that churned out glass, textiles, tires, and even local brews. Prosperity and growth...

The town of Mount Savage, Maryland, is a small blue-collar town nestled at the base of Big Savage Mountain in the Allegheny Mountains, between Frostburg and Cumberland. The town began as a small farming settlement in the mid-1800s, but it was not until 1844 that the region was put on the nations map with the pressing of the first iron rail in the United States. After this claim to fame, Mount Savage became the fifth largest city in Maryland. Named as the headquarters for the short line railroad and the Cumberland & Pennsylvania Railroad, the area was deemed an industrial center. In addition...