National Park Service shutting down Virginia living history museum and farm

A beloved D.C.-area tourist attraction is shutting down by the end of the week -- unless a last-minute deal is struck with the National Park Service.

The Claude Moore Colonial Farm in McLean is set to close on Friday. The farm is a living history museum which shows what farm life was like just before the Revolutionary War.

The farm entered into a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service in 1981. While the original agreement expired in 2006, the NPS says it was extended several times until it finally expired Dec. 31, 2017. The NPS says it allowed an extension for the farm through Dec. 21, 2018.

Farm organizers say they're disappointed with where things stand but they're still holding out hope for a year-end miracle.

"We're naturally very disappointed that it's coming to an end or seems to be," said Claude Moore Board of Directors Chair Jeff Anderson.

The NPS says Claude Moore Colonial Farm must remove property by Saturday, including buildings that the farm had built on-site, port-a-potties and livestock. While farm staff says they have found temporary housing for the animals, they still have a large amount of work to do before the end of the week.

NPS says Claude Moore is responsible for all property on the site and if NPS has to remove anything for them, the farm must pay them back.

"Hoping for something unique that allows us to continue. The terms they had offered us made it impossible for us to continue operating the way we'd been operating," said Anderson.

He said the NPS was offering a deal with the farm, but one of the negotiations limited what could be sold in the gift shop -- which is a large part of how the farm makes its income.

The NPS says they'd also like the farm to remain. A meeting is expected to be held early next year to determine what will happen next including other ways to use the current site.