Resident Curator Open House Set for Turner Farmhouse

The Turner Farmhouse Foundation will hold its third-annual pancake breakfast and open house on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Parking is available on-site, at 925 Springvale Rd, Great Falls, with volunteers able to assist. The event is open to the public at no cost.

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, Great Falls. Through the Resident Curator Program, the Turner Farmhouse Foundation is using the other structures 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 an opportunity for individuals and organizations to secure long-term lease agreements for historic properties in beautiful public park settings in Fairfax County. 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 some 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 Great Falls. 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 house 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 their rural history, as well.

Visit the Resident Curator Program website https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resident-curator-program. Resident Curator Program Manager Stephanie Langton at 703-324-8791.