[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 102 (Monday, July 27, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1447]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        CELEBRATING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF TURKEY RUN FARM PARK

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                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 27, 1998

  Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, this year is the 25th anniversary of what has 
become one of the most unusual and successful experiments in the U.S. 
National Park System. It is a National Park that owes its existence to 
public-spirited entrepreneurism in a cooperative effort which 
demonstrates what can be accomplished by the determination, 
resourcefulness, and ingenuity of private citizens committed to a cause 
about which they care deeply. The Claude Moore Colonial Farm at Turkey 
Run flourishes today as an example of a public-private partnership 
between citizens and government that utilizes the best both have to 
offer.
  The park was created in 1973 and was called Turkey Run Farm Park, and 
its purpose was to portray the home of a family of ordinary means in 
1771--a counter-balance to the 18th century historic plantations of the 
more well-to-do. A citizen's group formed the non-profit Friends of 
Turkey Run Farm in 1981. The Friends negotiated a long-term lease with 
the Park Service, matched a $250,000 endowment gift from Dr. Claude 
Moore, and changed the name to the Claude Moore Colonial Farm at Turkey 
Run. The group has successfully managed the Farm since 1981 as the 
first privately funded and operated Park in the National Park system.
  The Farm has achieved national recognition for its innovative 
educational programming which reaches over 50,000 people a year, 
including thousands of students in the Washington area. The Farm 
provides a visual benchmark, against which the many changes that have 
occurred since the 1770s can be put into perspective, leading to a 
better understanding of where we were then, who we are now, and what we 
may become. ``The farther back you look,'' Winston Churchill is 
reported to have said, ``the further ahead you can see.'' The Farm's 
motto is similar: ``AMERICA--To see where we are going, see where we've 
been!''
  Well over half the Farm's total current income is generated from 
self-supporting programs. More than one-fourth of their revenue comes 
from fundraising events. Together these accounts for about 85 percent 
of their annual income, with endowment funds and grants making up the 
rest. In September 1995 the Farm suffered a devastating loss when their 
replica 18th century farmhouse was destroyed by fire. A massive 
fundraising effort was launched to rebuild it. That effort has now been 
successfully completed. The new farmhouse was finished and ready for 
visitors in April, a testimony to the level of interest and commitment 
elicited by the farm from its supporters.
  Mr. Speaker, the Farm has remained open, against all the odds, 
because of the support of those who appreciate what it has given and 
continues to provide to the local community, the National Capitol 
region, and the Nation. It is a true public/private partnership which 
has grown stronger with the years, and as we celebrate the 25th 
birthday of the Claude Moore Colonial Farm at Turkey Run, we wish them 
many happy returns.

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