With only days left, I am writing to urge you and your readers to help save The Claude Moore Colonial Farm at Turkey Run in McLean. The National Park Service intends to “terminate” (their word) the Farm on Dec. 21, 2018. For over forty years, this special place has been a very important part of my life and so many others. Its loss would be huge for the community at large.
While it began as a National Park, the Farm was turned over to the Friends of Claude Moore Colonial Farm in 1981 and has been a successful, private endeavor ever since. The Farm portrays the life of a lower-class, homesteading Virginia family during the late Colonial period. It offers a unique historical perspective and opportunities to engage in colonial living experiences.
As a Fairfax County Public School teacher, for years I took my fourth grade classes to the Farm to live three days and two nights in the year 1771. It truly was “living history.” This program continues to this day as schools from Virginia, Maryland and D.C. bring students to participate in colonial encampments. As a mom, I was one of many who took their children there to learn about colonial life at Market Fairs and through many other farm events.
To date, more than 12,480 people have signed the Save the Farm petition. Information on how to help can be found on the Farm’s website— http://1771.org/savethefarm While legislation has moved to the floor in the House of Representatives, no legislation has even been introduced in the Senate by the Virginia Senators. Legislation must pass the Senate by Dec. 14. Time is running out.
The historical learning experiences offered by the Farm are so worth saving.
May Ohman
Arlington