Wills Mountain State Park

Wills Mountain State Park
Maryland State Park
Cumberland Narrows seen
from the Wills Mountain side of the gap
Country United States
State Maryland
County Allegany
Elevation 804 ft (245 m) [1]
Coordinates 39°40′07″N 78°46′54″W / 39.66861°N 78.78167°W / 39.66861; -78.78167Coordinates: 39°40′07″N 78°46′54″W / 39.66861°N 78.78167°W / 39.66861; -78.78167 [1]
Area 357 acres (144 ha) [2]
Established After 1952
Management Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Location in Maryland

Wills Mountain State Park is an undeveloped public recreation area on Wills Mountain overlooking the Cumberland Narrows in Allegany County, Maryland. The state park occupies 357 acres (144 ha) on the northwest edge of the City of Cumberland. It is under the control of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

History

From 1899 until 1930, Wills Mountain was the site of the Wills Mountain Inn, a mansion featuring 46 bedrooms with private baths and a grand ballroom that was initially used as a fraternal clubhouse and informal country club.[3] In 1902, the property was sold to Dr. Henry Fry for conversion to a sanatorium.[4] The property burned down in 1930.[3]

In 1952, the Maryland State Planning Commission encouraged the state to create an historic preserve on Wills Mountain through the purchase of 400 acres, the improvement of a private road that ascended to the summit, and development of picnicking and sightseeing facilities to take advantage of the natural beauty of the overlook.[5] The 2009 Maryland Land Preservation, Parks and Recreation Plan described the parcel as "virtually inaccessible" and "sensitive" with "no uses ... official or informal."[6]

References

  1. 1 2 "Wills Mountain State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. ↑ "Fiscal Year 2016 DNR Owned Lands Acreage" (PDF). Maryland Department of Natural Resources. July 29, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Feldstein, Albert L. (2006). Allegany County. Postcard History Series. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-4396-1760-1. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  4. ↑ "The Journal of the American Medical Association". Chicago: American Medical Association Press. 1902. p. 262. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Master Plan: Maryland State Parks and Recreation Areas". Maryland State Planning Commission. March 1952. pp. 48–49. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Maryland Land Preservation, Parks & Recreation Plan 2009" (PDF). Maryland DNR. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
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