Cherry Hill Newsletter
Late Summer 2024
A Busy Summer at the Farmhouse!
The grass barely had time to recover between the many events, activities and improvements that took place at the Farmhouse over the summer. Here are some highlights:
A Vietnamese Celebration
In partnership with the Vietnamese Literary and Culture Club (VLAC) and the Village Preservation and Improvement Society (VPIS), Falls Church Vietnamese Heritage Day was held at Cherry Hill Farmhouse on Sunday, June 16. Expressions of Vietnamese culture - antiques, food, music, dance, and dress –delighted visitors.
VLAC most generously provided female members of the Friends of Cherry Hill VPIS, Creative Cauldron, and other Falls Church Arts and Humanities Council members with dresses to wear at the festival. The dresses, called ao dai, are colorful, often painted, tunics with a side slit and worn with pants. Lapha Havan of VLAC patiently searched to find dresses to match American sizes. Seeadditionalphotosandinformationonpage5.
Keeping Up Appearances
The Farmhouse porch was repainted this April, the beginning of this year’s house tour season.
The Friends were concerned that the porch was looking a bit shabby following several years of exposure to the weather. Although the City was planning to paint the porch in its 2026 budgeting cycle, in conjunction with needed structural work, the Friends were eager to have the work done earlier and offered to pay for the improvement. The City agreed, and despite delays caused by spring rains, a City-approved contractor painted the porch in two days.
It now serves as an attractive welcome spot for visitors, such as Greg Turner and his young boys (at left). Greg was married on the front porch of the Farmhouse!
The porch looks so nice now!!
Presidents’ Letter …
Visitors and Volunteers
A lot of things have been going on at Cherry Hill this summer in addition to the Saturday tours and barn activities that continued despite very hot summer days. Most of the visitors are from Falls Church and nearby Northern Virginia communities. But we got lots of compliments from other Virginia citizens and visitors from other states, including the District of Columbia, Maryland, Iowa, Colorado, Maine, Missouri, Texas, and South Carolina. We’ve also hosted visitors from Australia, England, Finland, France, Germany, Oman, and Viet Nam.
We are only able to offer our tours and barn activities because of the continuing service of stalwarts Jennifer DeVignier and Greg Awad, Ellen Pirog and James Mcatamney, and Joanne Caramonica who show up Saturday after Saturday. They have also received help from Collette Worm, Caren Krystopolski, and Rosemary Ziskind who provided important and knowledgeable assistance. THANK YOU!!!
We have been advised that our grant application to clean and restore several of the oil paintings at Cherry Hill has been denied by the City. We are extremely disappointed since the Farmhouse collection requires regular professional maintenance and care to be properly preserved for the community’s use and appreciation. The website subcommittee met in July and made significant progress in planning for new structure and future additions to the website. The subcommittee is exploring the possibility of archiving its newsletters on the site and making them easily accessible.
Maureen
Budetti & Diane Morse, Co-presidents
NEW UNDERGROUND RAILROAD STAMPS
If you’ve been to the post office lately, you may have noticed (in addition to higher prices as of July 7) a new Underground Railroad stamp. A sheet of ten heroes of the Underground Railroad is sold as a Forever stamp at 73 cents each The honorees are Catharine Coffin, Frederick Douglass, Thomas Garrett, Laura Haviland, Lewis Hayden, Harriet Jacobs, William Lambert, the Reverend Jermain Loguen, William Still, and Harriet Tubman.
In 2004, the USPS provided a list of African Americans it honored on postage stamps. The first such postage stamp was of Harriet Tubman issued in 1978 (13 cents). She was honored again with another issue on June 9, 1995 (32 cents). (Uspostalmuseum.SI.edu)
On July 19th, one of the questions on Jeopardy was about the new Underground Railroad stamps!
Summer Camp at Cherry Hill
This summer, the Farmhouse hosted its annual “Blast Into the Past” summer camp! The campers’ activities were interesting and varied. A strong theme throughout was, of course, the history of the area. The campers analyzed the structure and artifacts in the Cherry Hill Farmhouse itself and explored off-site locations that expanded their perspectives on the history of the City of Falls Church.
Many activities were hands-on. The campers were able to tour the historic Falls Church and even play its amazing organ. They learned, via the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, the significant influence of African Americans in the City. Rangers from Mason Neck State Park taught them how to be responsible stewards of the land. A citizen of the Patawomeck tribe taught them how to make traditional eel pots (at right). With the assistance of Fairfax County Archaeology, the campers learned the role of physical archaeology in unearthing the history of the area. Additional knowledge of local history was gained by exploring the documents in the City’s archives in the Falls Church History Room in the Mary Riley Styles Library.
Based on their week-long research using primary sources and oral histories, campers created poster board exhibits. The campers’ exhibits are on display in the Farmhouse for the rest of the summer. Stop by to see a map detailing the buildings and crops on the property in the mid-18th century and the toys and treasures of the times in the children’s room.
The Mary Riley Styles Public Library has put together an online collection of old photos of Cherry Hill and Falls Church.
https://www.libraryaware.com/2659/NewsletterIssues/ViewIssue/2731c45 3-dae5-4762-b933-350db7325508?postId=15b899e1-84de-43da-acd9cb9e79ec7252
Ironing: A Cross-cultural Chore
A number of artifacts from Viet Nam were on display at Cherry Hill during the recent heritage celebration. One of the interesting items was a heavy duty iron. Surprisingly, it was nearly a twin to one in our keeping room. Irons like these were often made of cast iron, and were consequently quite heavy. Larger irons were referred to as “sad irons,” “sad” being an old English word for “solid.” The term “flat iron” soon became more common.
Ironing was hard work with these tools. In addition to pressing or smoothing fabrics and clothing, housekeepers had to keep the irons immaculately clean. To do so, the irons might need to be sand papered, polished, or even lightly greased to prevent rust. This photo shows a type of iron often called a “charcoal iron.” Such an iron could be opened, hot charcoals placed inside, and the lid closed for ironing. Even with this additional capacity for retaining heat, at least two irons were needed for ironing to be accomplished efficiently. While one iron was in use, the other would be heating so it could be used after the first iron cooled. The process would then be reversed. Unless the handle was made of wood, or some non-heat-transferring material, the person ironing would have to carefully grip a cast iron handle with a pad or thick rag. Electric irons came into use around 1882, when Henry W. Seely patented the concept.
Upcoming Events & Programs at the Farmhouse
Environmental Sustainability at Cherry Hill Farmhouse
Saturday, September 7 10am – 12pm
Friends Board Meeting
Thursday, September 12 2pm – 4pm
Fall Festival
Saturday, September 14 10am – 4pm
Farm Day
Saturday, October 5 10am – 3pm
HalloweenLiterary Evening
Saturday, November 2 8 – 10pm
A Very Victorian Christmas
Saturday, November 30 10am – 2pm
Children’sHolidayShoppe
Saturday, December 7 9am – 3pm
Holiday Teas
Saturday & Sunday, December 14th & 15th 2-4pm
Easy to Use Reference on Slavery in the White House
The White House Historic Association (the one that makes the annual White House Christmas ornaments) has an informative and easy to use onlinetimelineofslaveryinand around the White House. Titled “Slavery in the President’s Neighborhood,” it provides information and articles on slave holding and employment of African Americans by U.S. Presidents and other important individuals.
One interesting story is about Moses Williams who was an enslaved apprentice to renowned artistCharles Wilson Peale. Williams’s work cutting silhouettes was so good, and his production so prodigious, that Peale granted him his freedom. (Williams’s parents hadbeenfreedseveraldecades earlier.)
In addition, the site includes an index of enslaved individuals andanexhibitionofthe workof African American artists and craftspersons.MichelleObama called out their contributions when she said during her husband’s term, “I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves.” (Whitehousehistory.org)
VIETNAMESE HERITAGE DAY – Part 2
(L-R) Holly Irwin, Ari Autor (member-at-large), Maureen Budetti, Laura Connors Hull (Creative Cauldron and PresidentofAHC),andEllenGross(VPIS).(Atright,second row) Debbie Hiscott (Falls Church Vice Mayor). JustineUnderhill, City Council rep to the Arts and HumanitiesCouncil,alsoattended.
Did you know?
During the American Civil War, Viet Nam was at war as well. Napoleon III of France ordered French gunships to attack the port of Da Nang in 1858. The attack caused significant damage, yet failed to gain a foothold for the French as the action was compromised by humidity and tropical diseases. The French fleet then sailed south and captured Ho Chi Minh City, which was poorly defended. From 1859 to 1867, French troops expanded their control over all six provinces on the Mekong delta and formed a colony known as Cochinchina.
Maureen Budetti (left) and Coordinator Holly Irwin (right) with former Vietnamese officials.
Falls Church Women’s History Walk
The Falls Church Women’s History Walk was held on May 11, 2024. While there was no actual walk through the town this year, past and 2024 honorees, referred to as “grand marshals,” were honored at the Farmhouse and throughout the park. Portraits of Friends founders and supporters were displayed on the grounds among the 67 “HerStory” stations. The women were honored for stellar contributions to our community since its earliest days. A brief ceremony with cookies and lemonade was held for current awardees: Betty Allen, Cynthia Garner, Mary Gavin, Marian Selby, Merelyn Kay, Nancy Stock, and current Friends’s co-president, Maureen Budetti.
Thanks to the generosity of several past Women’s History Walk Grand Marshals, visitors and honorees enjoyed delightful refreshments!
In a pickle?
To highlight and honor the importance of using and preserving locally sourced produce, coordinator Holly Irwin worked with the Friends to pickle cucumbers and dry cherries.
A Fun Find
On her recent travels, Board member Ellen Pirog purchased a delightfully painted wooden plate featuring Cherry Hill Farmhouse at the Fort Myer Thrift Shop (Joint Base Fort Myer/Henderson Hall). The image was painted by Ohioan Joyce Diane Andrus Savich (1961 – 2022) and is designated #4 of 8. Joyce was an avid crafter and in addition to this plate, she created painted wooden ornaments of the Farmhouse and a mirror frame featuring historic sites in Fall Church. FoCH co-president Diane Morse has both the ornaments and the mirror in her collection.
7th US President
Of Interest Around the Area
Picturing the Presidents: Daguerreotypes and Ambrotypes fromtheNationalPortraitGallery’s Collection
To mark the 2024 presidential election year, the National Portrait Gallery is featuring an interesting exhibition of some of the earliest photographic images of eleven men who attained the nation’s highest office. Many of the early prints, including one of 8th President Martin Van Buren (1782-1862) and a campaign pin of Abraham Lincoln, were taken by Mathew Brady.
In addition to the daguerreotypes and ambrotypes, a less expensive photograph to produce, are several more recent photographs. Taken together, these portraits spotlight the role played by early photography in introducing Americans to their presidents.
According to the Portrait Gallery, as “sources for popular prints, newspaper illustrations, and campaign ephemera, these images reached countless Americans who could never have hoped to see their president in person.”
The exhibition continues through June 8, 2025
12th US President
Zachary Taylor (1847)
Andrew Jackson (1845)
Abraham Lincoln (1860) 16th US President
Detail from the mirror’s painted frame.
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312 Park Avenue Falls Church, VA 22046
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Content provided by Maureen Budetti, Holly Fenelon, Holly Irwin, Diane Morse & Ellen Pirog
Friends of Cherry Hill 312 Park Avenue Falls Church, VA 22046