Last updated: July 8, 2025
Place
The Cumberland (replica boat)
NPS
Quick Facts
Location:
Cumberland, MD
Amenities
1 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits
The Cumberland is a full scale replica canal boat, measuring approximately 93 feet long and 14.5 feet wide. It was constructed in 1976 as a Bicentennial project the C&O Canal of Cumberland, Maryland, Inc. (COCCM), a non-profit organization whose goal was to create a lasting legacy to Cumberland's rich C&O Canal heritage. Originally located at Lock 75, The Cumberland incorporates period displays and canal artifacts to give visitors a firsthand look at what life was like on the C&O Canal.
When the COCCM began planning construction in 1975, no original boats or blueprints were in existence, so plans had to be painstakingly recreated. Construction materials and labor where estimated at more than $100,000. To help defray some of the the costs, souvenir shares of stock were sold, andabout 10,000 man hours were donated by the U.S. Naval Reserve Seabees Unit (RMNCB-23), the U.S. Army Reserve's 265th Supply Company, students at Allegany County Center for Career and Technical Education and civilian volunteers.
The completed canal boat replica was dedicated on July 11, 1976. The COCCM maintained and operated the replica for the next 23 years, conducting interpretive boat tours during the spring and summer. In 1999, ownership was transferred to the Canal Place Preservation & Development Authority for relocation to Canal Place, Maryland's first Certified Heritage Area - now called The Passages of the Western Potomac Heritage Area. The Cumberland was relocated to its current home on January 4, 2000 as one of the State's Millennium celebration projects.
When the COCCM began planning construction in 1975, no original boats or blueprints were in existence, so plans had to be painstakingly recreated. Construction materials and labor where estimated at more than $100,000. To help defray some of the the costs, souvenir shares of stock were sold, andabout 10,000 man hours were donated by the U.S. Naval Reserve Seabees Unit (RMNCB-23), the U.S. Army Reserve's 265th Supply Company, students at Allegany County Center for Career and Technical Education and civilian volunteers.
The completed canal boat replica was dedicated on July 11, 1976. The COCCM maintained and operated the replica for the next 23 years, conducting interpretive boat tours during the spring and summer. In 1999, ownership was transferred to the Canal Place Preservation & Development Authority for relocation to Canal Place, Maryland's first Certified Heritage Area - now called The Passages of the Western Potomac Heritage Area. The Cumberland was relocated to its current home on January 4, 2000 as one of the State's Millennium celebration projects.