Correspondent of Frostburg Mining Journal notes arrival of “stinguished gemman” Hon. Frederick Douglass in Cumberland

Of the visits Frederick Douglass made to Western Maryland his participation in an Emancipation Day event at the fairgrounds in Cumberland in September 1879 was the most widely attended; it is the only address in Appalachian Maryland Douglass is known to have delivered outdoors.

Several reports of the sojourn of United States Marshal Frederick Douglass to Maryland’s Queen City specifically mention increased activity on area railroads from four states in anticipation of the arrival of Marshal Douglass.

Cumberland, serviced directly by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad with a mixed-use station at the Queen City Hotel, was a city Douglass had likely passed through several times to and fro prior and after his confirmed address in travels to areas west, including Wheeling, Cincinnati and Chicago.

The Queen City Hotel station provided a space where political associates, bands, church leaders, school groups, fraternal organizations and community members could greet Marshal Douglass upon arrival.

Increased activity on the rails prompted a travel correspondent of the Frostburg Mining Journal to take note of the community chatter around the visit of the Hon. Frederick Douglass in Cumberland.

Off the desk of “Roundabout” …

Leaving Frostburg Monday morning, Sept 22d, [1879] for a trip to this beautiful valley of the Shenandoah, about the first thing of note that attracted our attention was the arrival of the Hon. Frederick Douglass in Cumberland, but our train being due we saw no more of this ‘stinguished gemman’ but were soon flying eastward down the modern Potomac, or historic Cohongoruton, with all its beautiful and varied scenery.

Queen City Hotel; Cumberland, Maryland (1927 postcard)

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Cumberland, Maryland, ca. 1927 : Queen City Hotel, courtesy of Enoch Pratt Free Library; Maryland Department, Postcard Collection

The Queen City Hotel and Station was for 100 years a landmark of Cumberland’s railroad history. Constructed in 1871 by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, it served both as a railroad station and a luxurious hotel for vacationers. Located in a valley surrounded by mountains, it had 100 rooms. Built only one year after completion of a rail connection with Pittsburgh by B & O, it placed Cumberland as a major junction on the route to northwest. The building was demolished in 1972 to make room for the Interstate 68 highway. In September 1879 United States Marshal Frederick Douglass arrived in Cumberland at the Queen City Hotel station. Before returning to Washington City, Marshal Douglass lodged at the Queen City Hotel overnight.

Marshal Frederick Douglass takes express train to Cumberland’s Queen City hotel; lectures for Emancipation celebration [Washington Post, Sept. 24, 1879 & Baltimore Sun, Sept. 23, 1879]

Queen City Hotel
Cumberland, Maryland

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FRED DOUGLASS IN CUMBERLAND

He is Received by the Authorities and Delivers an Address

Special Dispatch to The Post.

Cumberland, MD., Sept. 23. – “Emancipation Day” was yesterday celebrated in this city in a very enthusiastic manner by the colored people, who flocked to the city in large numbers from the neighboring towns of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Maryland. It was a gala day for the colored race.

About 2,000 visitors were in town, and the streets presented an animated appearance. The weather was cloudy but no rain fell, and everything went off pleasantly. About noon a procession was formed, which passed through the principal streets and wended its way to the Fair grounds, which are located in a commanding position to the east of the city. Several Masonic and other secret societies appeared in line. Marshal Douglass arrived on the express train from Washington at 2:10 P.M.

He was met at the Queen City hotel by an immense crowd of people, and escorted through the principal streets in a barouche, in which were seated Mayor William J. Read, Hon. Henry W. Hoffman, and Rev. B. H. Lee, the pastor of the A.M.E. Church in this city, who was also the president of the meeting. The procession arrived at the Fair grounds at 3 o’clock, escorted by a band of music. Among the vast assemblage present were Hons. George A Pearre, associate judge of this circuit, composed of Garrett, Allegany and Washington counties; Lloyd Lowndes, Wm. Walsh, R.D. Johnson, Esq., a prominent Democrat, A. Hunter Boyd, Esq., the State’s attorney of Allegany county, and a number of prominent citizens, including several ladies. The meeting was called to order by Rev. B.H. Lee, the chairman, who introduced Marshal Douglass. He spoke for two hours in a very eloquent manner.

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Celebration of Emancipation Day at Cumberland.

[Special Dispatch to the Baltimore Sun.]

Cumberland, MD., Sept. 22. – The colored citizens of Cumberland celebrated the anniversary of emancipation to-day. The attendance from abroad was not so large as expected there being only about 250 colored strangers in the city. Those at home turned out well and showed great interest, many houses being decorated. There was a procession at 12 o’clock, in which were the Laboring Sons, Star Club, Union League Club, and Frederick Douglass club. There were also three wagons containing tableaus representing war, emancipation, trades, professions, and industrial and mechanical pursuits. The display was creditable. At 12:30 the visitors took dinner at the fair grounds. United States Marshal Fred Douglass arrived at 2:10 P.M., and was met at the depot by a large crowd of both races, the desire to see him being general. At 2:30 o’clock exercises were had at the fair grounds consisting of prayer by Rev. T. W. Harris and addresses by United States Marshal Douglass and Hon. W. W. Hoffman. The attendance at the fair grounds was good, and Mr. Douglass’s speech was listened to with great attention.

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NOTE:

The historic content and sources hereby therein this blog post originally posted in late December 2012 has been stolen two times without any attribution, citation or mention by institutions in Western Maryland area. A couple years ago I brought the first instance of thievery up to Honorable Alfred Feldstein of Allegany County. That first instance of blatant thievery was an entry on the Western Maryland’s Historic Library.

The second, which I recently stumbled upon, is by the Allegany Museum in downtown Cumberland.