Looking Back: True Stories of Mountain Maryland

by James Rada Jr.

From the unsolved to the unusual. From the historical to the hysterical. From the famous to the friendly. This is life in the Maryland mountains.Did you know that a Russian prince once worked as a priest in Cumberland?Have you heard the story about the German POW camp near Flintstone during WWII?Do you know about the mining wars that were fought to try and unionize the coal mines in the Georges Creek region?Do you know the story behind Cumberland's only lynching?Have you heard the story about the baseball game played between the Cumberland Colts and the New York Yankees?These are the stories of Allegany and Garrett counties in Maryland found in old newspapers, history books and other places. It's the stories of people who tamed the mountains, established cities, raised families and lived their lives.Journey back in time and look beyond the photos that so well document the region's history. This collection of 40 stories spans 220 years of life in Western Maryland. Originally published in the Cumberland Times-News and Allegany Magazine, some of these stories have been expanded as new information has been uncovered and new photos accompany some of the stories.

Genres: History

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

I am a multi-award-winning journalist and copywriter. I have also written a number of books, both fiction and nonfiction and plan to write even more. I work as a freelance writer in Gettysburg, PA, where I live with my wife and sons.

Reviews

[M. Sprouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book of several short, but unique stories of western Maryland history. I read the sequel first and really liked it. This one was good, but not as interesting as the first so I had no choice but to drop it one star. I read both books a little at a time, when I was waiting each night for my wood furnace to take hold. Very worth reading, especially if you live in the area.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like history and especially Maryland history, you will enjoy this book. It is basically reprints of articles that have appeared in the newspaper of the time. It had a wide range of short stories and kept my interest. Enjoyable.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting. Some not. Lots of fairly poor proof-reading.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting information from the mountains of western Maryland including news stories.