About The Foundation

Mission

According to the Foundation's 1957 charter, "It shall be the purpose of this Corporation to preserve, protect and foster, for scientific, educational or charitable use and study for the benefit of the people of the nation, the historical sites and relics, trees, plants, and wildlife rapidly disappearing from an area of great natural beauty along the Maryland shore of the historic Potomac River."

History

Founded in 1957 to protect the view from Mount Vernon across the Potomac River, the Accokeek Foundation, an educational nonprofit, became one of the nation's first land trusts. Today, the Foundation stewards 200 acres of Piscataway National Park in Accokeek, MD, where visitors can hike a network of trails winding through wetlands, visit a native tree arboretum, and observe an award-winning forest restoration project.

The Foundation also runs the National Colonial Farm, a living history museum that depicts a Maryland middle-class family farm on the eve of the American Revolution. Through our heritage breed livestock and seed saving programs, nearly extinct heirloom crops and animals are preserved for future generations.

The Foundation's organic Ecosystem Farm emphasizes the future of agriculture as farmers learn the tools of a new trade and practice sustainable use of natural resources. "Shares" of the farm's organic produce are sold to area households. The park's beautiful grounds, trails, and programs are open to the public year 'round.

To download a copy of The Foundation's 2007 Annual Report, please click here.
To download a copy of The Foundation's 2006 Annual Report, please click here.
To download a copy of The Foundation's 2005 Annual Report, please click here.
To download a copy of The Foundation's 2006 Strategic Plan, please click here.

Frances Payne Bolton

Frances Payne Bolton was the founder and first President of the Accokeek Foundation. She purchased the 500-acre Bliss farm in Accokeek in 1955 to ensure that it would not be developed in any way that would spoil the magnificent view from Mount Vernon. She organized the Accokeek Foundation as a private, non-profit land trust and donated her land to the new organization so that it would be preserved and protected forever. In the history of land conservation in America, Mrs. Bolton's act was a milestone. Her work with the Accokeek Foundation blazed a trail for all who have come after her. Among the Accokeek Foundation's accomplishments under her leadership are the following:

Creating the oldest private land trust in the Tidewater Potomac region.
Preserving important genetic diversity within the agricultural gene pool with the establishment of the National Colonial Farm Museum.
With the establishment of Piscataway Park, creating a new kind of national park that includes private property by design, which preserves the public's interest and private owners' rights at the same time.
Enabling Prince George's County, Maryland, to become the first jurisdiction in the nation to grant local tax relief for the donation of scenic easements.
Setting the precedent with the Internal Revenue Service that allows for the deduction of the value of a donated scenic easement.

Frances Payne Bolton in front of Mount Vernon.

Beyond her work with the Accokeek Foundation, Mrs. Bolton was one of the most influential women in America during the 20th century. The daughter of a prominent family, she was elected to Mount Vernon's board in 1938. The following year, when her Congressman husband died, Mrs. Bolton was appointed to serve out his term. Then she ran and was elected in her own right. By 1955 she had established herself as a powerful member of Congress.

Frances Bolton was the first woman to be elected to Congress from Ohio. She was the first woman member of the Congress to represent the United States in the U. N. General Assembly. She was the first woman Member of Congress to visit a war theatre. She was the first woman to head a Congressional delegation abroad. She sponsored legislation that gave nurses regular officer status in the military. She also battled racial segregation and championed women's rights for her entire Congressional career.

Mrs. Bolton continued to serve as the Accokeek Foundation's President until her death in 1977. A bronze plaque in Piscataway Park commemorates her service to the nation.

Standards For Excellence

$\"0\"$

The Accokeek Foundation has been awarded the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations' Seal of Excellence for successfully completing the Standards for Excellence certification program. A peer review team examined the Accokeek Foundation's programs and services, management, fundraising and financial practices for compliance with the Maryland Nonprofits' Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector. These standards evaluate a nonprofit's fundamental values such as honesty, integrity, fairness, respect, trust, responsibility, and accountability.

The Standards for Excellence program began in 1998, and the Accokeek Foundation joins Hospice of Charles County as one of the two southern Maryland organizations to receive the seal. The Accokeek Foundation also joins a small group of certified organizations with an environmental focus, including the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, the Alliance of the Chesapeake Bay, and the Center for Watershed Protection. The first effort of its kind in the nation, the Standards for Excellence program was developed by a team of volunteers from the state's nonprofit community.

Membership

Members can visit the site for free, receive invitations to 'Friends Only' events, receive quarterly newsletters with the latest information about the Foundation, discounted fees on training, and a 10% discount at our gift shop, where we have many unique items.

Your membership supports educational programs that serve thousands of school children and visitors annually; research, enhancement and maintenance of the 18th century National Colonial Farm; maintenance of hiking trails and the fishing pier; preservation of various heritage breed animals; and the research and work of the Ecosystem Farm, a model of organic and sustainable agriculture.

To download a copy of the membership form, please click here.

Admission

Regular admission is $2.00 for adults and $0.50 for children ages 4 to 11. National Park Pass, Golden Age, Golden Access, and Merchant Access passes are accepted for regular admission.

Admission for special events, such as Children's Day, African American Heritage Day, Colonial Day and Winter's Eve varies. Admission for special events is listed under the "Events" section of the website.