Dr. David M. Gillespie Special Collections

The William T. Allee Collection contains a variety of photographic slides (554 slides) and photographs (545 photos), most taken by Allee in his role as freelance photographer. Allee documents locales in Cumberland, MD (circa 1950s-1990s); the work of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at the Cumberland Locomotive Shop Facility (1971); activities of Cumberland, MD and regional civic groups (1964-1991); activities of Emmanuel Episcopal Church of Cumberland, MD (1973-circa 1990s); Cumberland-area events (circa 1950s-1991).

Index of Allegany County images likely used in for newspaper articles. 1940s-1960s.

The Pansye S. Atkinson Collection contains administrative records kept during Atkinson’s career at Frostburg State College and Frostburg State University from 1969 to 2005. As the University’s first Coordinator of Integration, later Director of the Office of Minority Affairs and Affirmative Action Coordinator (1969-1986), Atkinson was responsible for much of the planning and work to desegregate Frostburg State College, recruit and retain minority students, and foster a supportive campus environment for minority students

The Karen M. Bambacus Collection contains a variety of photographs, correspondence, ephemera, and miscellaneous items from her time at Frostburg State College and Frostburg State University. Many photographs document instructors/staff members at Frostburg State College and Frostburg State University.

Mel Collins was a Navy veteran who was passionate about the history of Western Maryland, in particular the architectural history. As a member of the Preservation Society of Allegany County since the 1970s, Collins extensively documented and photographed historical buildings throughout the county. Collins was also a prolific editorial columnist for the Cumberland Times-News. The Mel Collins Collection contains thousands of Collins’ indexed photographs of his work for the Preservation Society and public education on local historical buildings from the 1970s – 2006. The collection is primarily comprised of Kodak slides and photographic prints. Other materials include stamps, rare coins, and national historic registry applications.

The Council of the Alleghenies, a non-profit organization, was founded to “preserve, develop, and share the rich and meaningful traditions, folklore, history and human values and resources of the Allegheny Highlands.” The Council of the Alleghenies Collection contains the administrative records (1964-2014) of Council officers. Materials include legal documents, administrative and financial records, correspondence, agendas and minutes of Board of Directors meetings. The collection also documents the Council’s many activities (1964-2015), which include conferences and lecture series, tours of historic and heritage sites, and dinners.

The Susan Eisel collection consists of materials she acquired while working as Secretary and later Administrative Assistant for the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at Frostburg State University (1966-2005).

The Charles Gover Collection documents the military career and family life of Charles H. Gover, Sr., who served with the U.S. Air Force 1943-1965. The collection is notable for Gover’s album, containing photographs and memorabilia, which illustrate his career training as a bombardier and radar operator during WWII.

The Jon C. Jansen Collection consists of 1,171 books, both paperback and hardbound, in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and non-fiction science. The bulk of the collection are paperbacks published from the 1950s through the 1970s, a period when science fiction and fantasy developed a wide readership. The collection’s novels represent popular science fiction and fantasy authors from this period and earlier. Their distinctive paperback cover art also reveals attitudes to science, space exploration, and gender typical of the mid-century and later.

John Kennedy Lacock, a native of Western Pennsylvania, developed a keen interest in General Edward Braddock and the march to Fort Duquesne in spring of 1755. During the early 1900s, Lacock set about retracing Braddock's trek to what is now Pittsburgh, PA. Lacock wrote a book, numerous newspaper articles, and collected photographs of the men as they explored the Road. The Dr. David M. Gillespie Special Collections has the materials, donated by Voy Lacock, which can be used to view the Road nearly 150 years later. Also in the collection are the materials from Bob Bantz, area resident, who walked the Road with a GPS. Bantz donated his maps and collection of photographs for viewing.

The Henry Miller/Roger Jackson Collection consists of manuscripts, published works, correspondence, artwork, photographs, and film and audio recordings. These materials document Miller’s literary and artistic career and his relationship with publisher Roger Jackson. Henry Miller (1891-1980) was an American author and artist most well known for his semi-autobiographical works "Tropic of Cancer" and "Tropic of Capricorn".

The Negro Mountain Collection documents some of the history of Negro Mountain and numerous attempts made from 1991 on to rename the mountain. The collection contains photocopies of book chapters, monographs, and articles related to the history of Negro Mountain; photocopies of relevant maps; newspaper articles, editorials, and letters to the editor pertaining to the mountain, the controversy over its name, and attempts to change it.

The Roger Pickenpaugh National Road Collection consists of research materials compiled by Pickenpaugh, which informed his 2020 history of the National Road: America’s First Interstate: The National Road, 1806-1853 (Kent State University Press). These materials focus on the eastern sections of the National Road, from Cumberland, MD to Columbus, OH.

Dr. John J. Rutledge was Maryland's first chief mining engineer and served in that position for twenty five years. Through the generosity of his daugher, Alma Rutledge Goldberg, the Ort Library obtained numerous maps, coal and coal mining materials, and other documents relevant to the coal mining industry of Western Maryland.

List of sheet music donated by Director of Music, Charles Sager.

Vertical file collection maintained by the Special Collections Librarian. Files regularly being updated. Half of the vertical file collections are related to FSU and half are local/regional history. Use CTRL F to keyword search topics.

Jack Vrieze was a theater instructor at Frostburg State College in the 60s-80s and directed many plays at the college. His collection includes programs, clippings, and posters of his many productions.

Bob Wells was a Baseball Coach at Frostburg State University. The baseball field is named after him. The Bob Wells Collection documents the history of athletics at the college. It is primarily composed of baseball-related files, but includes football, basketball and intramurals

From the late 19th century through much of the 20th century, Cumberland, Maryland was home to a number of local and regional breweries. The Western Maryland Breweries Collection consists of records kept by the two largest Cumberland breweries: the Cumberland Brewing Company and the German Brewing Company, which eventually became the Queen City Brewing Company. Materials consist of administrative and financial ledgers and some documents.