Berlin Park Namesake Details Sought

BERLIN - Dr. William
Henry Park in east Berlin was named after a Berlin notable - but few these days
seem to know anything about Henry, leading one town staffer to appeal to
residents for information on this mysterious pillar of the community.

Berlin Deputy Town
Administrator Mary Bohlen is asking community members to come forward with any
information they remember Henry.

Bohlen hopes to find out
why Henry was so significant to Berlin that the town named a park after him.

'I'm not having a whole
lot of luck •€¦ obviously, at some point his name meant a great deal to the
community. I am coming up blank,' Bohlen said.

Initially, Bohlen
thought it would be easy to find out about Henry, but the man himself has so
far proven elusive.

'It's been a lot more
complicated than I expected,' Bohlen said.

Henry Park was developed
in the 1970s, Bohlen said, so there should be some citizens still living in the
town who remember why Henry was honored with his name on a permanent town
amenity.

Ultimately, the town
would like to install a plaque at Henry Park honoring the namesake and his
accomplishments, whatever they turn out to be.

'Most likely he was a
native to the area who went on to distinguish himself,' Bohlen said.

Currently, however, all
Bohlen knows about Henry is his name.

Anyone with information
on Henry can call Bohlen at 410-641-4314.

In addition to a plaque,
Henry Park is on track for a more substantial improvement.

Henry Park, often seen
as playing second fiddle to the larger Decatur Park, will see some of the first
benefits from Berlin's recent Parks Master Plan. 'It will be a start,' Bohlen
said.

County staff got Mayor
and Council approval this week for a grant application to hire a firm to design
a new parking scheme for the park on the east side of town.

'What they're looking at
now is just getting some increased parking,' Bohlen said.

The idea, she said, is
to look at expanding parking in the area around Henry Park's current parking
lot, not into the open field on the north end of the park, along Route 113.
That currently unused open area will probably become a sports field of some
kind in the future.