Claude Moore Farm has been a popular location for many people in the local community. However, last December the park closed and the National Park Service (NPS) has been working on reopening it ever since. The NPS held a divisive second public meeting on this project at McLean High School on Sept. 26. 

“The spring and fall market fairs were wonderful, lively events, and the farm was a lovely, serene place to visit on less-crowded occasions as well,” community member Dan Sperling said. 

There were those who denounced the NPS and there were those who were more reserved, but whenever an insulting point was made a round of applause would ensue. 

 “I was sad and upset that Claude Moore Colonial Farm has closed, and the Park Service’s three proposals for what to do with the property don’t make me feel any better,” Sperling said. 

 Reid Fellenbaum, a representative of AECOM corporation, is working with the NPS to help create designs for the farm that reflect public opinion. Fellanbaum made the point that public meetings are not the only way they collect opinions on the subject. This is because some people don’t show up for a variety of reasons such as they are afraid to voice a minority opinion on the subject. 

What do you like most about Claude Moore Farm?

• I have never heard of this Farm
• Its cultural and historical preservation
• Its landscape (hikes, walks, biking, etc)
• Its educational value

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“Our goal is to collect all comments from a diversity of local, future park users, not just the loudest ones, and give them equal weight in our concepts,” Fellenbaum said. “This sometimes can be challenging, especially achieving a diversity of comments from different age groups – for example, younger individuals represent a very large future user group of the park and are often times the least represented.” 

There are some concerns over the changes the NPS may create.

“The Park Service blames Claude Moore’s closure on the fact that the volunteer organization that ran the facility refused to comply with Park Service rules,” Sperling said. “But the real reason appears to be that a colonial farm doesn’t fit in with the Park Service’s rigid, limited, preconceived, corporate-mentality notions of what such a property should be used for.”

Still there are people like Jon Engle who, despite concerns over the historical preservation, believes there are some benefits of the change. 

“Quite a bit of the land entrusted to the former group was never really used as a part of the 18th century farm, so making that part available to public recreation is probably a good thing,” Engle said. 

There is also division over what the ideal solution is for the farm.

“I hope the Park Service reconsiders, and that Claude Moore Colonial Farm (even if under another name, if necessary) reopens just as it was, and resumes its place as an educational, cultural and recreational treasure,” Sperling said.

Engle disagrees.

“Ideally, volunteers could do living history demonstrations & host school events on the old farm site until a non-profit group could raise the funds to do something more permanent,” Engle said. “In the mean time, once the area necessary to effectively use for 18th century recreation was clearly delineated, the other areas could be given more hiking trails, used for community gardens, a native plant nursery for NPS reforestation projects, etc.”