HARMONY HALL CHAPTER National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Press Release June 7, 2012 Contact: Judy Meade (301) 292-9386 meaderj@msn.com
DAR Awards $6,000 Grant to the Accokeek Foundation
Washington, D.C. – The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) announced today that the organization has donated $6,000 to the Accokeek Foundation at Piscataway Park, Accokeek, Maryland. Funding for this project was made possible through the sponsorship of the Harmony Hall Chapter, DAR, which is based in Fort Washington, Maryland.
The DAR provides grant funding to support projects in local communities which promote the organization’s mission areas of historic preservation, education and patriotism. The DAR special
Projects Grants program began in 2010 as a way to assist communities in their efforts to preserve the past, enhance the present and invest in the future. Because of limited funding, the application process is very competitive. Interested groups must be sponsored by a local DAR chapter, submit documentation of their IRS 501[c][3] status, and the application must include a narrative which describes the need and urgency of the project, as well as planned activities and benefits to the community which will result from the grant.
The Accokeek Foundation’s National Colonial Farm facilities include the 1770’s farm house, Laurel Branch, which was rescued from certain destruction and was reconstructed at the Farm. The unique architecture and construction of Laurel Branch provide a rare insight into the lives of ‘middling’ Southern Maryland residents at the time of the American Revolution. Because of its age, rough and raw construction materials, and its exposure to the weather, Laurel Branch is in need of restoration and repair in order to continue to serve as an educational exhibit accessible to the Farm’s visitors. The grant will provide necessary funding to replace deteriorating clapboards on the building’s exterior, as well as other much-needed repairs and restoration work.
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to promote patriotism, preserve American history, and support better education for our nation’s children. Its members are descended from the patriots who won American independence during the Revolutionary War. With nearly 170,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide,
DAR is one of the world’s largest and most active service organizations. To learn more about the DAR, visit www.DAR.org. For information about applying for a Special Projects Grant from DAR, visit www.dar.org/grants.
About the Accokeek Foundation The Accokeek Foundation, which was established in 1957 to protect the Mount Vernon viewshed, stewards 200 acres of Piscataway Park along the Potomac River in Prince George’s and Charles Counties, Maryland. Its programs include the National Colonial Farm, a living history museum that preserves heirloom plants, heritage breeds of livestock, and historic buildings of the Chesapeake Tidewater; the Ecosystem Farm, a demonstration of sustainable agriculture; and training programs in organic farming, museum theater, and other related fields. Admission to the park is free and open to the public year ’round. For more information about visiting, including hours of operation and directions visit www.accokeekfoundation.org.