Plans for Josiah Henson Park

Posted on June 15, 2010 by Barnaby Zall

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Happy Josiah Henson’s Birthday!

How appropriate that the Parks Department would hold a community meeting to begin the public participation portion of the planning for a park to celebrate the internationally-famous author, abolitionist, minister and former slave, whose 1859 autobiography was the basis for Harriet Beecher Stowe’s anti-slavery novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” In 2006, Montgomery County purchased the land at the corner of Old Georgetown Road and Tilden Lane to form the Josiah Henson Special Park.…

The End of the Beginning?

Posted on June 15, 2010 by Barnaby Zall

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Royce Hanson, 78, was honored yesterday for his long service as Chairman of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Hanson served twice as Chairman, during two pivotal eras, first, 1972-81, creating the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve (which preserved green land in a wealthy and dense county) and then, since 2006, as the down county shifted from a purely suburban character to a more urban setting.…