Filet Platter, Allegany County

From the USS Maryland Silver Service

Maker: Samuel Kirk & Sons (1815-1979)
Object: Fillet Platter, Allegany County
Date: 1906
Medium: Sterling Silver
Dimensions: Overall length (eagle to eagle) 16 1/2"; Overall width,10 3/4"
Accession number: MSA SC 1545-0936

The western county of Allegany is represented by a large fillet platter, which is similar in design to the Howard County roast platter. Allegany County was formed in 1789 from Washington County, and is one of three counties not named for an individual. Its name comes from the Native American word, oolikhanna, meaning "beautiful stream."

The fillet platter is decorated with four scenes that reflect the importance of the county’s role in the westward migration of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Cornucopias of apples flank the Great Seal of Maryland, and these are surrounded by sprays of chestnut, oak and pine. Sprays of oak, birch, hemlock, and grain surround the Cruiser, and a clump of cattails appear to the right of the boat. As with the other serving platters, the “USSM” monogram is engraved in the center, two eagles are applied to the sides, and the rope border surrounds the perimeter.

The National Road was the first major highway in the United States built by the federal government. As traffic in the Cumberland Valley increased, the original road that passed over Haystack Mountain needed to be improved because these four miles of the road were too steep for the heavy freight wagons to travel on safely.

A more efficient route through Will’s Creek Narrows required a stone bridge to be constructed. It was completed in 1837 and was in use until 1932. In the 1950s, the bridge was torn down for the construction of a new flood control system.

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was built between 1828-50 and stretches for 184.5 miles from Washington D.C. to Cumberland, MD. It operated from 1828-1924 and cost $11,071,176 to construct. Its main purpose was to haul coal, lumber, and coal from Western Maryland to Washington D.C.

Today, the canal is used as a recreational trail managed by the National Park Service.

Fort Cumberland was named after the Duke of Cumberland, a Captain General in the British Army. Constructed in 1755 the fort was 400’ by 120’ and was the headquarters for both General Edward Braddock and Colonel George Washington during the French and Indian War.

The fort ceased to be used as a military base after the revolutionary war, however, it was used by President George Washington in 1794 in connection with the suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion in Western Pennsylvania. Since the fort was not situated in the most strategic location, it was gradually dismantled and disappeared.

The mountains of Western Maryland provided one of the state's largest natural resources, coal. The fields of the Cumberland Valley were considered to be some of the richest in the country. The George’s Creek Coal Field was opened in 1840, and the high quality, semi-bituminous coal that was produced there was used throughout the state and traded around the world. In fact, the U.S. Navy, including the cruiser Maryland, used coal from this field.

This scene depicts an entrance to one of the coal mines with a loaded car on the tracks.

© Copyright  August 06, 2024  Maryland State Archives