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Berlin (accent on the
first syllable) has all the special character of Maryland’s
southern Eastern Shore—fine dining and shopping, a peaceful and
historic setting, and all within minutes of the beach. It is
located in Worcester County— Maryland’s only county bordering on
the Atlantic Ocean—just 7 miles from Ocean City. Harmonious rows
of red-brick buildings line downtown Main Street housing antique
shops, jewelry shops, gift shops, and restaurants.
The village of Berlin began in the 1790s on the 300-acre
Burley Plantation, a 1677 land-grant property. It is believed
that the name Berlin was derived from a contraction of “Burleigh
Inn,” a tavern located at the crossroads of Sinepuxent Road and
the Philadelphia Post Road. The latter was the main route up the
Shore to the commerce centers to the north and west; before that
it was part of the path connecting the Assateague Indians with
the neighboring Pocomoke tribe. Berlin’s Main Street lay on a
section of the Philadelphia Post Road.
In the early 1900s, Berlin was well known as a pleasant rest
stop for travelers on their way to the small coastal village of
Ocean City. At one time, Berlin boasted more overnight
accommodations than Ocean City. The town’s residential areas
preserve nearly two centuries of architectural heritage,
including fine examples of Federal, Victorian and later American
styles. Many of the historic homes are graced by mature shade
trees and shrubs—magnolias, sycamores, tulip poplars, bald
cypress, and ginkgos.
Since the late 1980s, joint effort between public and private
sectors has wrought significant revitalization of Berlin’s
historic downtown commercial area. The downtown district as a
whole and several individual buildings are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. The town is designated by
the State of Maryland as a “Main Street Community” in
recognition of its revitalization progress.
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