The Clermont Foundation

AGRICULTURE: The Foundation uses the 360-acre Clermont Farm site as a commercial beef cattle and sheep operation, which is the basis for: A) preserving intact and sustainably an historic agricultural landscape, and B.) providing an agricultural education and research program working with Virginia Tech and the Virginia Cooperative Extension. Clermont also serves as a teaching farm for the local Clarke County Public Schools and supports working farmers through the Extension Service. In 2023. the cost of replacing the burned barn required a supplemental from the VA General Assembly which was requested. The 15-year FSA-USDA riparian buffer lease was renewed, with removal of invasives and planting of hundreds of new native trees. A new public Native Plant Sale event, with educational components was introduced. Cattle and sheep age profiles improved.

HISTORY: The Foundation conducts research and education programs related to the history of the farm, its regional and economic ties, and the people who have lived and worked there. The Foundation maintains archives of family papers and research materials related to the farm, and collections of historic furnishings, objects, and archaelogical materials. All are available to external researchers. In 2023 The Foundation assisted with the publicatin of "Clarke County, Virginia: History Through Architecture" by Maral Kalbian, a 319-page key local research tool, including Clermont's historic buildings. A major research discovery in the Library of Congress was the original Survey Warrant for Clermont, pushing settlement back from 1750 to 1744.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION: The Foundation demonstrates best historic preservation practices and conducts education programs about them for special interest groups, students, and the general public, using the dozen historic buildings (18th and 19th centuries) above ground and the archaeological resources being protected underground. Rehabilitation of and repairs to historic buildings are used not only as active opportunities for demonstrations of best practices and appropriate technologies, but also to conduct further research on and documentation of the buildings. In 2023, plans were completed and federal and state reviews conducted for the $472,000 National Park Service grant to rehabilitate the Owner House, the Smokehouse, and the Dairy/Springhouse, with archaeology and work scheduled for 2024. Groundhog/raccoon protections added for Slave Quarter. Cemetery landscaping improved.