In March, 2024, with introductions from Congressman Chris Carney, Dennis Farm Charitable Land Trust (DFCLT) officers and Board members traveled to Washington, DC for meetings on Capitol Hill. Board member, archaeologist, Wade Catts, Vice Presidents Darryl Gore and Lonnie Moore, and CEO Denise Dennis spent two days meeting with six members of Congress, to brief them about the Dennis Farm’s history and DFCLT initiatives, and explore federal grant opportunities for the restoration of the Henry W. and Angeline Perkins Dennis House, the farmhouse on the site. The team left a booklet about the house restoration with each member.
United States Senator Bob Casey and his team graciously welcomed DFCLT to his office for an in-depth conversation and recommendations about available grants and how to apply for them. His team followed through, calling the next week, helping DFCLT access the application, and reviewing the application process. In 2023, Senator Casey was one of the featured speakers at America250PA’s Bell Dedication ceremony on the Farm and, also, visited the Perkins-Dennis Cemetery. Although Senator John Fetterman couldn’t meet with the DFCLT team personally, his office scheduled a meeting with one of his aides who welcomed us to his board room. After listening to DFCLT’s presentation, she recommended available grants. Both senators agreed to support DFCLT’s grant application.
Four members of the US House of Representatives met with the Dennis Farm team, as well. Northeast Pennsylvania Congressman, Dan Meuser, hosted DFCLT in his office and enthusiastically offered his support, instructing his aides to research and recommend grant opportunities, which they have done. Northeast Pennsylvania Congressman, Matt Cartwright greeted the group, as well. One of his aides met with the DFCLT team and gathered information about the Farm to help identify appropriate funding possibilities.
The Dennis Farm team was honored to meet with two members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Congressman, Democratic Minority Whip emeritus, House Assistant Democratic Leader, and Congressional Medal of Freedom recipient, James Clyburn of South Carolina, sat with the DFCLT team for a lengthy discussion, his office. Clyburn instructed his aides to assist DFCLT and advised the team that it would be advantageous if the Dennis Farm was part of a Heritage Trail. Denise Dennis was pleased to share with Congressman Clyburn that Jonathan Jasper Wright who during Reconstruction became the first African American to serve as a justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court, was originally from Susquehanna County, PA, not far from the Dennis Farm. Clyburn, of course, is familiar with Wright whose portrait is displayed in the SC Supreme Court.
Congressman Stanford Bishop, of Georgia, Ranking Member of the Agriculture Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, and House Agriculture Committee, met with the team in his office with its spectacular view of the Capitol dome. Coincidentally, Representative Bishop and Lonnie Moore are both members of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, one of the divine nine. Bishop, too, offered DFCLT useful advice on procuring funding.
Team DFCLT’s two days on Capitol Hill were productive and exhilarating. “In the early 2000s, when DFCLT was getting off the ground,” one of Senator Casey’s aides invited me to Capitol Hill for a meeting and I was fortunate to meet with Senator Casey and Congressman Carney,” said Denise Dennis. “It is so gratifying to know that they still believe in the Dennis Farm and are helping us meet our goals. We appreciate that Congressmen Meuser and Cartwright are now aware of the Dennis Farm’s historical significance as a Northeast PA cultural and educational asset, and are on our side. It was a rewarding experience to share the history of the Farm and the work DFCLT has been doing for more than twenty years, with Congressional Black Congress members, Representatives Clyburn and Bishop.”
When the Henry W. and Angeline Perkins Dennis House restoration is completed and the house is open to the public, DFCLT will recognize all those who took the time to meet with the team and offer support.
