Brooklyn Park, Anne Arundel County

By Chris Byars (spring 2014)

The land that became Brooklyn Park was once an old mining pit for sand and gravel. It was transformed into a recreational territory for the Brooklyn Park Youth Association. The two parcels that make up this massive green space now hold eight lighted baseball or softball fields, two lighted multipurpose fields, a 2,640 feet paved walking trail, pavilion, and a season- al concession stand. According to Dawn Thomas, a Management Assistant in the Capital Projects Division of Recreation and Parks, the green space was acquired in 1966 through 1967 from C. Braddock and Caroline Jones with aid of a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It wasn’t until 1970 when the massive green space became an established home field for the Brooklyn Park Youth Association due to the decision by the County’s Executive Joe Alton’s Administration. As a result, Brooklyn Park becomes a fully developed recreational park in 1974 with the help of reimbursement funds from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Brooklyn Park not only acts as a green space but also as a memorial for a long-time community activist, Charles Elliott, whose presence left a positive mark on Brooklyn. Elliott was once the president of the Brooklyn Heights Improvement Association and is now memorialized by the No.2 field in Brooklyn’s recreational park. Furthermore, the, “Home of The Cyclones,” 10th Avenue fields owe much thanks to the director of the Brooklyn Park Youth Association, Jack Conley, who has utilized the fields located on this green space for many successful baseball seasons. Conley coaches the youth sports played on Brooklyn Park’s fields and believes the park has not only helped community kids, but also provided a place for the youth to learn the game of baseball.