Berry Playground

S. 3 St. bet. Berry St. and Bedford Ave.

Brooklyn

Directions via Google Maps

This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

This playground, located on South Third Street, with Bedford Avenue to its east, is named for Berry Street, to its west. Berry Street was named for the Berry family, among the earliest settlers of Williamsburg, who owned a considerable portion of it for more than a century. Williamsburg’s first mayor, Dr. Abraham J. Berry (1799-1865), was born in New York City and educated as a physician. He quickly rose to prominence and was one of the few doctors who remained at his post when cholera devastated the city in 1832. Courageously laboring day and night, Dr. Berry became one of the most admired and recognized figures in the city. As Mayor, he worked to establish a ferry system with Manhattan. His 1855 proposal consolidated Williamsburg with the rest of Brooklyn and dropped the final “h” from its original name, Williamsburgh.

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