Monthly Archives: June 2016
Museum presented with American and Whiskey Rebellion flags
WoodmenLife Chapter #6 members recently presented nine Whiskey Rebellion Flags and a American Flag to the Allegany Museum.
The American flag was the seventh the organization has presented to the Museum for use on our outdoor flagpole. WoodmenLife is the largest provider of American Flags, second only to the Federal Government. American, State, Religious and Veteran Flags are given free of charge to non-profit organizations and schools.
The Whiskey Rebellion flags will be flying proudly at our 2017 Whiskey Rebellion Celebration on June 9.
The photo shows Museum President Gary Bartik, Nancy Davis, WoodmanLife Trustee, Carol Kirchner, Jurisdiction of Maryland President, Vicki Cappello, Escort, Haylee Twigg, Youth Member; Emory Davis, Jrs. President, Courtney McKay, Museum Manager, and Vic Rezendes, Museum Vice President.
Can you contribute to our new Smithsonian exhibition?

Our area’s ‘Boston Pops’ presents ‘Backstage with the Band’.
The Potomac Concert Band will hold its annual open rehearsal, ‘Backstage with the Band’, in the Allegany Museum grand ballroom, second floor, 3 Pershing St at 7:00 pm, Wednesday, June 22nd.
Not only is this event free, but audience members will have an opportunity to speak with band members, ask questions, and get an up-close view of the various sections.
The Potomac Concert Band boasts some of our finest musicians, and presents traditional marches, Broadway show tunes, TV theme music, patriotic selections, and popular songs.
Today is the 204th anniversary of the War of 1812
June 18 2016 is the 204th anniversary of the start of the War of 1812.
In the fall of 1814, two companies were formed in Allegany County that totaled 227 fighting men. Lowdermilk notes that Allegany County manifested a ‘considerable degree of enthusiasm’ when called upon to join the state’s militia. Captains Thomas Blair and William McLaughlin formed two companies – Blair’s was mostly from Cumberland. The companies were ‘made up of excellent material’.
When news of victory eventually reached Cumberland, Lowdermilk notes that “Processions paraded the streets, singing and shouting, and the entire population took part in the celebration.”
An interesting side note: The Georges Creek Valley was settled mostly by “pensioners of the Revolution and the War of 1812, their heirs and descendants.” Notes on Georges Creek, by Felix G. Robinson.
(I couldn’t find an image of Thomas Blair, but I found this discharge paper for one of the fighting men from Allegany County)
Allegany Museum to host Smithsonian ‘The Way We Worked’ next February
Whether we work for professional satisfaction and personal growth or to ensure the well-being of ourselves and our families, work is a part of nearly every American’s life. Office workers, factory workers, homemakers, truckers and the millions more who keep the nation going through their work make great contributions not only to industry, but also to American culture.
The Way We Worked, adapted from an original exhibition developed by the National Archives, explores how work became such a central element in American culture by tracing the many changes that affected the workforce and work environments over the past 150 years. The exhibition draws from the Archives’ rich collections to tell this compelling story.
Allegany Museum will display the Smithsonian traveling exhibition, and also artifacts, photos, and stories from the history of labor unions in Allegany County, and FDR’s New Deal projects in the area.
There are very few tickets left for the Whiskey Rebellion Fest!
Art featuring historic Cumberland opens June 10 at Allegany Museum
New art exhibition at Allegany Museum:
“Vintage Cumberland – Vintage Artists”, presented by the Allegany Arts Council and the Allegany Museum.
The exhibition features paintings, drawings, architectural illustrations and lithographs depicting an array of Cumberland scenes completed before, during or in the early years of the twentieth century up to 1950.
The exhibit, on the first floor the Allegany Museum, will open at 6 pm on June 10, the same evening as the museum’s signature “Whiskey Rebellion”t event. It will remain on view through July 15, 2016.
Image: A circa 1908 rendering of Allegany County High School by local architect, George F. Sansbury. This work, as well as others by Sansbury, are featured in the “Vintage Cumberland – Vintage Artists” exhibition
Knob Creek bourbon ambassador to visit Whiskey Rebellion Commemoration Fest
During the Whiskey Rebellion Fest, Friday June 10, guests will have a chance to win sets of Knob Creek® bourbon. Tastings of Knob Creek® will also be available, and will be poured by Bourbon Ambassador, John Vickers-Smith. Vickers-Smith is travelling all the way from Kentucky to be at the Fest in Allegany Museum’s Grand Ballroom.
Knob Creek® was created several decades ago by Booker Noe who wanted to restore the standards of pre-prohibition bourbon, and this began the small batch bourbon movement. The result is a big, full flavor, with a maple sugar aroma and distinctive sweetness. In 2015, Knob Creek® was named “Best Bourbon” at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Sets of Knob Creek® will be available by silent auction, with winners to be announced 10:30 PM. A rug worth almost $6,000 from Azad’s of Cumberland, a weekend at Rocky Gap, three packages of genuine Cuban cigars, gift certificates for the Embassy and Cumberland theaters, and much more will also be on auction.
Entertainment will include music by Grand Ole’ Ditch, Colonial pub games, and re-enactments by the Embassy Theatre Legacy Corps.
All tastings of whiskey and other spirits are included in the $50 ticket price, along with a souvenir shot glass. (Tickets will be $75 at the door)
Tickets to the Fest are available at the Book Center, Centre St Cumberland, through the Whiskey Rebellion Cumberland Facebook page, or online at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/whiskey-rebellion-fest-tickets-23112356681.