This panoramic map shows Cumberland, Maryland, as it appeared in 1906. Located on the Potomac River in the western part of the state, Cumberland was an important transportation hub early in the nation’s history. It was the western terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, built between 1828 and 1850 to link the Ohio River with Chesapeake Bay. It was the starting point of the National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road), on which construction began in 1811, and which ran westward to Vandalia, Illinois. Cumberland later became an important junction on the Baltimore &amp; Ohio Railroad, built between 1828 and 1852 to connect Baltimore, Maryland, with the Ohio River at Wheeling, Virginia (present-day West Virginia). The map shows the streets and buildings of the town, the canal (labeled the C&amp;P;, or Chesapeake and Potomac), and tracks belonging to the railroad. Panoramic maps were popular in the United States and Canada in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Also known as bird's-eye views or perspective maps, these works represent cities portrayed as if viewed from above at an oblique angle. Thaddeus Mortimer Fowler (1842–1922) was one of the most prolific makers of panoramic maps. He was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, and fought in the American Civil War. After working for an uncle who was a photographer, in 1870 he established his own panoramic-map firm. Over the course of a long career, Fowler made panoramic maps of cities in 21 states and parts of Canada.
<br>Aerial views; Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (Maryland and Washington, D.C.); Cities and towns; Panoramic views; Potomac River
Fowler, T. M. (Thaddeus Mortimer), 1842-1922
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