I recently had a visitor tell me she was so glad to be here in Cumberland.  Could I please tell her how to get to the tunnel that had a canal through it?  This part of the world isn’t known for its canals, so I asked a few questions, hoping to understand what she wanted.  Turns out she was looking for the Paw Paw Tunnel in Cumberland, Maryland.  Later that same afternoon, another woman came in with the same question.  People wanting Cumberland, Maryland twice in one day!

But it made me start thinking about all the Cumberlands in the United States.  Both of these women had googled Cumberland and seen pictures of the tunnel.  Tom and I have been to Cumberland Island many times in Georgia.  Lots of of our visitors want to know where Cumberland Falls is located.  So many places with the same name and it can get pretty confusing.

I decided today that I would try to clear up some of the confusion – or add to it, as the case may be.  First, I want to start with explaining why there are so many things named Cumberland in the eastern United States.

As with many things in British North America, when it came time to name things, Americans looked to the royal family.  They did this as a sign of respect and also to curry favor.  Prince William, the third son of King George II, was given the title Duke of Cumberland when he was five.  He went on to a distinguished military career.  The highlight of that career was his defeat of the Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.  This made him a hero for British subjects all over the world (although a villain to the Scottish).

Consequently, things that were named in the colonies between 1746 and 1775 were often named after the Duke of Cumberland.  The one exception to that is Cumberland Island in Georgia, which was named after Prince William when he was only 13.  James Oglethorpe had taken Toonahowi, the nephew of Chief Tomochici of the Creek, with him to England.  Toonahowi met Prince William in England and suggested the island be named after him.

Today there are Cumberlands all over the southeastern United States.  Here are some of the places named Cumberland that I have been able to find.

Cumberland Island National Seashore on Cumberland Island in Georgia.

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Cumberland Mountain, and the Cumberland River all in the tri-state area of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia.  Named by Dr. Thomas Walker in 1758 when he explored the area.

The Cumberland Plateau is a dissected plateau land lying west of the main Appalachian Mountains.

Cumberland, Maryland, is the largest of the cities in the United States named Cumberland.  There are Cumberlands in 16 different states and 10 states have counties with that name.  The town of Cumberland, Maryland, was named after Fort Cumberland, which was a fort built in 1754 during the French and Indian War.  The fort was named after Prince William.  Tom and I often go to the town of Cumberland Gap here in Tennessee.

Visitors to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park frequently want to visit Cumberland Falls.  That is a state park located on the Cumberland River about 90 minutes northwest of the Gap.  The falls are gorgeous and well worth a visit, but they aren’t in the National Historical Park.

In addition to all these fantastic geographic Cumberlands, there is also the Cumberland Trail State Park, which is a 300 mile long trail that follows the eastern escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau.  This is a beautiful trail that begins right here in the National Historical Park and goes all the way to Chattanooga.

There are two universities with Cumberland in the name:  Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee and University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky.  In addition to all these other Cumberlands, I found nearly 100 businesses with Cumberland in the title, including  a poultry company, an insurance company, a furniture company, and a cryptocurrency business.

There are Cumberlands everywhere!  And I probably know them all, so ask me if you want to know how to get to any of them.