Corn, soybeans, and Indians: What’s next for Duff McDuff Green Memorial Park

Henderson Farms will once again get their lease renewed by Stafford County in order to continue farming at Duff McDuff Green Memorial Park.

Henderson Farms, a privately-owned business from Fredericksburg, has been growing corn and soybeans on the land since before it was donated to the county in 2010 by the land’s owner Mr. Duff Green Jr. as part of an agreement before his passing in 2009.

The next year, Henderson Farms entered into a 5-year lease with the county in 2010 as part of the final wishes of Mr. Green.

• The original lease was renewed in 2015 and is coming up in 2020.
• The lease costs $3,800 per year.

The County had an offer from Fredericksburg-based corn and soybean grower Blysdale Farms to farm the land back in 2015 but decided to stick with Henderson as part of the original agreement and out of a sense of tradition. 

The new lease comes as Henderson Farms will soon have new neighbors at the McDuff Green Park, as the Patawomeck Indian Tribe signed a 10-year lease with the county for 17 acres of land in June. 

• It’ll be the first time in 300 years that the Stafford County-based tribe will have a permanent home.
• Included in the lease are the owner’s original home Duff House and its accompanying outbuildings.
• The property will be used as an educational museum and cultural village dedicated to educating the public about the tribe’s history and their way of life.
• All renovation and maintenance of the land will be the responsibility of the tribe.

McDuff Green Park is located at 75 James Ashby Parkway in Falmouth and is named after Duff McDuff Green Jr. 

• The park offers fields for baseball, soccer, and football.
• It also had a 4-acre Dog park as well as playgrounds and picnic areas.
• The park operates between mid-March to the end of October.