Portsmouth residents call for more improvements at beloved historic park
PORTSMOUTH — More improvements are on the way for a beloved park in the Mt. Hermon neighborhood of Portsmouth.
The park, located at 901 Florida Ave., was renamed in 2020 after late Mayor Bernard D. Griffin Sr., a community activist remembered for his service on the Portsmouth School Board, City Council, local NAACP chapter and other civic organizations.
Since renaming the park, which measures a little more than an acre, the city has spent $400,000 to add a swing set to the playground area and install a picnic shelter with tables and grills.
But Portsmouth residents Tyrone Hines, Leon Turner and John “Joe” Hooks envision more for the park, including more grass, a sprinkler system to regularly water the grass and another picnic shelter. Throughout the park are patches of dirt where grass has been unable to grow. Community members previously raised money in an effort to install park benches and more grills.
City Council members seem to be on board with installing a sprinkler system and making more improvements at the park. Interim City Manager Mimi Terry told The Virginian-Pilot that $13,000 in community development grant funding will be used to begin that process, though it’s unclear what improvements it would cover. Terry told City Council members this week she’ll come back with more information about future improvements and possible funding opportunities to further preserve the historical site.
For decades, the park has been a sacred space and central meeting place for Mt. Hermon residents and beyond. At one point, it was the only park in the city where African Americans could gather, Turner said.
“Back in the day, this is the only park we could come to. Black people couldn’t go to City Park,” Turner said. “So this was it.”
Former Council member Paul Battle once called it “holy ground.”
Turner also said there were “no squabbles” when the community gathered at the park. Hines said it’s a place that sees diversity and “nothing but love” from all who visit.
Hooks, who Hines calls “Mr. Mt. Hermon,” visits the park every morning to keep an eye on it while he gets his daily exercise.
Hines, Turner and Hooks spoke to The Pilot on a rainy day last week under the park’s single metal picnic shelter, recalling their fondest memories of playing tennis on courts that were also used as a makeshift skating rink. The men also remember shooting hoops, drinking from the water fountain and playing horseshoes, which Hooks said could explain some of the bald dirt spots.
Even today, the park fills up on Sundays as residents meet for basketball games and cookouts. Hooks said parked cars recently lined both sides of the street for a mile down to London Boulevard as members of the community gathered to show their support for a family who lost a loved one to violence.
“(The city) named it after Bernard Griffin — treat it right,” Hines said. “Because this park is like holy land to us.”
Turner said more investment into the park is about “being treated fairly,” noting the number of improvements made at the 93-acre City Park, for example, to further beautify it.
Portsmouth maintains more than 30 parks, with improvements underway at a few, including Maplewood Park, Eighth and Jefferson Park and Highland and Lansing Park.
Natalie Anderson, 757-732-1133, natalie.anderson@virginiamedia.com
