The Turner Farmhouse Foundation will host its annual pancake breakfast and open house on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Parking is available on site, with volunteers able to assist. This free event is open to the community.
The Turner Farmhouse Foundation serves as the resident curator for the historic Turner Farmhouse and several other outbuildings on the property, located at 10609 Georgetown Pike in Great Falls. Through the Fairfax County Park Authority’s Resident Curator Program, the Foundation is using the other structures on site to create and operate a retreat center, partnering with Becky Love Foundation, Comfort Zone Camps and other organizations to host bereavement programs.
The Resident Curator Program provides a unique opportunity for individuals, nonprofit and for-profit organizations to secure long-term lease agreements for historic properties in beautiful public park settings. The curator leases are without charge in exchange for a financial commitment toward approved rehabilitation of the Park Authority’s underutilized historic properties. The program requires reasonable public access to these historic resources, which often occurs in the form of an annual open house.
The Turner Farmhouse, built in 1905 by the Turner family, is in a 52-acre community park at the intersection of Georgetown Pike and Springvale Road in the Dranesville District. The Mark Turner Dairy Farm is an example of the type of farm that predominated in this community during the early years of the 20th century, and the Turners were hailed as model farmers in a 1948 article in the "National Grange Monthly."
The 3,216-square-foot Queen Anne style farmhouse exemplifies the cultural, economic and historic heritage of the Springvale and Forestville/Great Falls agricultural communities in Northern Virginia. Many of the original details, formal parlor, hardwood flooring and fireplaces remain. Several outbuildings on the property reflect its rural history, as well.
For additional information about Turner Farm or the Resident Curator Program, visit the Resident Curator Program website. You may also contact the manager of the Resident Curator Program Stephanie Langton at 703-324-8791.