The Allegany County Historical Society

06/17/2026

CARRY OUT HISTORY STICKS - Another first for your ACHS Program Team as the Allegany County Historical Society gears up for the second weekend of MDmountainside's Museum Week.

In addition to free Friday and Saturday tours between Noon and 4 PM at Gordon-Roberts House and the History Discovery Center at Blue Spring, we're presenting our first Maryland Two Fifty Discovery Center History Huddle Friday evening at, beginning at 7 PM.

Historian Eve Hutcherson will be sharing her Maryland Two Fifty Commission sponsored research into the early real estate transactions in the first years of Allegany County beginning in 1790. The particular emphasis is on sales of any Lots West of Fort Cumberland issued around 1786 and Thomas Beall of Samuel's City of Cumberland lots surveyed around 1787. Eve was looking to identify the buyers, in particular. Her work began with creation of a data base that captured these purchases.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE. In addition to the lively Canada Hose House discussion that anyone can enjoy for free with website registration at the link below, ACHS is loading up ten USB thumb drives with the project data base for interested attendees to take home and explore the sortable Excel file on their own!

Living History takes many forms and your historical society is excited to involve our community in joy of discovery about "who did what and when" in our history-rich home town.

https://alleganycountyhistory.org/

06/15/2026

History lives in more ways than we usually think about. Even in buildings more than a century old (especially such old ones, in fact) the bricks and mortar need to be maintained as the living surfaces that they are. Not compounds exactly, better defined as cured aggregrates, it seems.

About a year ago, ACHS used a Canada Viaduct neighborhood facade grant made available by the City of Cumberland through DHCD to repoint some significant areas at the 1845 Canada Hose House where mortar was missing in the outer course of brick. Our contractor meticulously mixed nearly a dozen batches of historically correct quicklime mortar to get a good color match to existing sections. We've waited a year to apply a natural 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water to scrub excess mortar from the brick faces, waiting to make sure the mortar was cured.

The areas are still wet this AM, but the results look promising. Just in time for our Friday and Saturday free tours from noon to four and our kickoff Maryland Two-Fifty-sponsored History Huddle Friday night at 7 PM, sharing research data funded by the Maryland Two-Fifty Commission on the sales of the Lots West of Fort Cumberland and Thomas Beall's Cumberland lots in the early days of Allegany County, beginning in 1790.

https://alleganycountyhistory.org/summer-2026-america-250-discovery-series/

Make your plan now to take advantage of Museum Week's closing weekend and check out the Gordon Roberts House and the History Discovery Center free tours!

https://www.mdmountainside.com/museum-week/

06/13/2026

FREE TOURS TODAY. Two different stories, two unique buildings. The Allegany County Historical Society will be hosting guided tours from 12 t0 4 at 218 Washington Street and 400 North Mechanic Street as part of Mountain Maryland Museum Week.

At the Gordon-Roberts House Museum Week visitors can experience the height of Cumberland's Gilded Age elegance in a home built by Josiah Gordon in 1867. At the 1845 Canada Hose House, there's living history about our community's blue collar traditions in the ACHS History Discovery Center at Blue Spring.

Learn all about Museum Week at this link:
https://www.mdmountainside.com/museum-week/

05/31/2026

More tomorrow about these America 250 Discovery Series “History Huddles” set for this Summer on North Mechanic Street.

ACHS is excited to offer this strong set of scholarly discussions free of charge with reservation - in recognition of our state and country’s celebration and our own founder’s mission to provide history education that dates back to 1937.

Don’t sleep on these reservations, as seating at the Canada Hose House is limited…and this is brand new research.

Summer 2026 America 250 Discovery Series The Allegany County Historical Society is pleased to announce the return of our History Huddle series, where attendees can interact with presenters on topics of local history discovery. There are no bad questions and no wrong answers at the Canada Hose House....

05/30/2026

Sun’s out. Doors done.

05/30/2026

History is the result of what people do. Doesn't stand still. In that sense, we can be confident that history is being made this weekend in one of our community's oldest commercial buildings.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1H3DcVDNYN/

05/29/2026

How local history comes alive!

05/28/2026

Absolute perfect weather today for ACHS’s annual elementary school tours at the Union Grove One-Room Schoolhouse. Today we hosted John Humbird Elementary School, second grade classes.

We are always so thankful for the support of the Union Grove Campground for sharing their serene, well cared for campground with our students. They do rent their peaceful space for non-alcohol events.

Shout out to volunteers and staff for creating such a special program for the kiddos. Thanks Dylan Stumbaugh, Sherry Thompson, Peg Neef, and Howell’s Sunoco for making our day.

05/28/2026

It’s what we do! Details by the weekend, but what a beautiful program out at Union Grove today. Local history came alive for these kiddos…