Land donation moves 9/11 trail network closer to connecting Garrett, Berlin

David Hurst, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·2 min read

Jul. 7—SOMERSET, Pa. — Somerset County has acquired one of the final remaining segments of land needed to extend the September 11th National Memorial Trail from Garrett to Berlin.

The donation is being made in memory of a Somerset County historian who spent much of her life dedicated to sharing Somerset County's stories.

Berlin native Donald Mason donated 1.6 acres of land for the trail to honor his late wife, Cynthia Metzger Mason. The donation will help the county extend the path from a former CSX railroad bed into Berlin, said Lindsay Baer, Somerset County's parks and trails director.

The 2019 donation of CSX's railroad bed in 2019 provided 90% of the land needed for the trail to connect Garrett and Berlin — but a gap remained near Berlin, she said.

"Mr. Mason's donation helps us bridge a critical gap in the trail ... and we're so thankful he came forward and offered to help," Baer said.

Mason's donation gives planners another section just south of Berlin Borough. It's located on Mason's 110-acre farm, which is known as Dove Harbour Farm, she said.

Mason said his wife volunteered for the Meyersdale Area Historical Society and saw firsthand the impact trails have on a community. He's hopeful the same will happen for Berlin.

"I think it's going to have a tremendous economic impact on Berlin because a lot of people will be using this trail," Mason said.

The timing is great because the county just received $600,000 in federal funds, allocated through PennDOT, to conduct engineering and design work for the rest of an approximately seven-mile path, Baer said. Until now, the county had been conducting design work in small segments in the Garrett area.

"That's really going to help carry us forward," she said.

The trail still has a small amount of land to acquire between the two boroughs — and if all goes well, design work could be out for bid this fall, according to Baer.

Construction dollars to finish the Garrett-to-Berlin project have not yet been secured.

The trail segment is part of a 1,300-mile network connecting the three places where hijacked planes crashed during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks — New York City, Somerset County and the Pentagon in Virginia.