Berlin man donates land to Sept. 11th National Memorial Trail
SOMERSET ― The September 11th National Memorial Trail came one step closer to completion June 30, thanks to Donald Mason, a Berlin native.
Mason donated a piece of his farm property to Somerset County in memory of his wife, Cynthia Metzger Mason. Cynthia was an avid historian in the area, and helped to establish the genealogy department at the Meyersdale Public Library.
"My wife worked in Meyersdale as a genealogist for the Meyersdale Public Library. She was also secretary of the historical society," Mason said. "She had a real good experience with the trail over there. She wrote a lot of the grants for the library and the trail. She had access to all the logs of people signing in. They are from all over the world."
Family farm strip donated
The Mason Farm, also known as Dove Harbour Farm, is a 110-acre working farm, located just a mile south of Berlin. Mason donated about 1.6 acres.
"It's a long strip of land that was a railroad bed running through the property," he said.
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The September 11th National Memorial Trail, when completed, will follow along the old CSX railbed between Garrett and Berlin. The Mason property will help to bridge a critical gap in this route, helping to make the trail into Berlin possible.
"This section of land is critical for getting the September 11th National Memorial Trail into Berlin. When Don reached out to the County about possibly donating a piece of his land to this important project, we were thrilled that we would be able to get around a privately owned section of the rail bed," said Lindsay Baer, Parks and Trails director. "We’ve created a wonderful partnership with the Mason family through this project, and we are excited to have them as part of our trail community."
Mason is living in the original house on the property, along with his son, Mark, and daughter-in-law, Linda. He said he was born and raised on the farm, as a seventh generation. His son is the eighth generation on the farm.
The property was first settled by Philip Wegerlein (Weighley) in 1768 and divided into three farms in 1818. Mason lives in the same home that was built by his great-great-grandfather, Joseph Mason. He built it after returning from the war where he was a hospital steward for Company F, 142nd Infantry Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers for the U.S Civil War.
Economic boost
Mason said being able to donate the land means a lot to him.
"People are really excited about it around here," he said. "It's an opportunity that I had. Something I can do for my whole town and surrounding area."
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Mason has been excited to be part of the September 11th National Memorial Trail, which will now run along the southern end of his property.
"I want this trail to go through. I think it's the greatest thing," he said. "It'll be my legacy to Berlin.
"I see it as a positive thing for the economy of this town and the surrounding areas. Airbnbs are already going up. It is important to the area."
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Berlin man donates land to Sept. 11th National Memorial Trail
