upright=1.3 The Emmanuel Episcopal Church of

Cumberland, Maryland Cumberland is a city in Allegany County, Maryland, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 19,075. Located on the Potomac River, Cumberland is a regional business and comm ...

in Cumberland's Historic District is built on the foundations of Fort Cumberland, where

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

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. The grounds are part of the Fort Cumberland Walking Trail, signposted with plaques and detailed in a leaflet available from the visitor center. Standing at the eastern end of the Washington Street Historic District, it is one of Maryland's examples of early

Gothic Revival architecture Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

. The church is on the former site of Fort Cumberland, and earthwork tunnels remaining from the fort run under the church. The church was constructed around 1850 and designed by Philadelphia architect

John Notman John Notman (July 22, 1803 March 3, 1865) was a Scottish-born American architect and landscape architect based in Philadelphia. He designed buildings, cemeteries, churches and country estates in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and h ...

. It is modeled after St. Paul's Church in

Brighton, England Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

. The design is typical ecclesiastical architecture of the second quarter of the 19th century, especially that of the Episcopal Church. Cumberland MD Presby PHS683

The Cumberland Parish House was built in 1903 and designed by Cumberland native

Bruce Price Bruce Price (December 12, 1845 – May 29, 1903) was an American architect and an innovator in the Shingle style architecture, Shingle Style. The stark geometry and compact massing of his cottages in Tuxedo Park, New York, influenced Modern ...

. Price chose elements of the popular Second Empire style for the Parish House, an eclectic style based loosely on

French architecture French architecture consists of architectural styles that either originated in France or elsewhere and were developed within the territories of France. History Gallo-Roman The architecture of Ancient Rome at first adopted the external Gre ...

during the reign of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. The Parish house features elements typical of this style, such as a projecting pavilion, tall windows and roof, and deep architectural details. Many other houses of the Washington Street Historic District resemble the Parish House, but also feature a

mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called French roof or curb roof) is a multi-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper, and often punctured by dormer wi ...

, this style's central characteristic. 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 French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

. The only building to remain from the fort is the small cabin that was used by

as his headquarters when he was in the Cumberland area with his Virginia troops. It has been moved to nearby Riverside Park. Emmanuel Episcopal Church and Parish House are at 16 Washington Street and are contributing buildings to the Washington Street Historic District. Church services are open to the public, and the tunnels are open for tours during the Heritage Days festival in June.

External links

www.emmanuelparishofmd.org/
{{coord, 39.651, -78.7654, display=title, region:US-MD_type:landmark Religion in Cumberland, MD-WV-PA Buildings and structures in Cumberland, Maryland Episcopal church buildings in Maryland Churches in Allegany County, Maryland