Fairfield Celebrates 25 Years of Archaeology, Preservation and Education

In 2025 the Fairfield Foundation is celebrating 25 years of hands-on archaeology and educational programs in Gloucester County and throughout eastern Virginia.

Some days it’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years since we turned over our first shovels of soil at Fairfield, slowly uncovering fragments of stories of this complex and massive former plantation. We’ve come a long way since the first students walked down the dirt driveway to the site, where the low ruins of the manor house were barely visible amidst a thicket of vines and trees.

But we had a vision for a site that could introduce people of all ages to the experience of doing archaeology – and at the same time, it would reveal its secrets about how an expansive plantation landscape had emerged and then disappeared over three centuries. Fairfield became that site, but it also provided a model replicated at sites across the region, and that moved beyond just archaeology to include building preservation, oral history, archival research and more.

In our first 25 years we uncovered many clues about the history of Fairfield through archaeological research; we acquired multiple sites and their surrounding acreage to manage for the benefit of the community; we preserved historic landmarks of Gloucester County and continued to highlight their relevance, we engaged with descendant groups to share a more complete story, and we worked with school kids from across the Tidewater (and sometimes beyond). And all these accomplishments are ongoing commitments.

How did we get here? Generous gifts from individuals and organizations have provided funding to keep our programs going, but volunteers and program participants are the lifeblood of our work. From the beginning, people from all walks of life joined us to get involved in archaeology, to work with their hands, to do something meaningful. Working with new people who bring fresh energy, new perspectives, and amazing questions has been a wonderful experience and continues to energize us. There are also numerous remarkable individuals, like Harry Wason, Cecil Wray Page, Jr., David Peebles and Margaret Perritt, who supported, encouraged, and believed in this mission.

Since our inception in November 2000, volunteers and visitors have contributed over 113,000 hours of help on all manner of projects – Thank YOU!! Volunteers come in all sizes from young kids to kids at heart, from high school and college interns to retirees looking for new adventures and new ways to benefit their community.

We started this in large part because we wanted to involve more people in doing archaeology (and preservation, and oral history, and archival research!). The thrill of discovery, the feeling of inclusion as you discover a new clue about the past, the pride in helping to keep a cherished building standing so the next generation can walk within its walls – these feelings resonate with our volunteers. And this keeps us going too; it keeps us engaged and keeps us wanting more. Different people and perspectives also make for better research and better results. We do this because archaeology and history are fascinating and invaluable pursuits that help us define and understand who we are. We do this because we get to share it with You!

How does this help the community?

Where do we go from here? Twenty-five years seems like a long time, but sometimes it feels like the blink of an eye. We are happy and proud that the Fairfield Foundation has made it this far, and has accomplished a good deal, but we have our sights set on the future. We manage five historic sites, encompassing several hundred acres. We participate in dozens of outreach activities across the region. We organize multiple events and programs throughout the year and manage a small army of volunteers. And our thoughts are on sustainability.

How do we ensure that our historic buildings and archaeological sites are cared for properly; that our exhibits, archaeological collections, and buildings function to support continued research and visitation; and that our outreach programs continue and expand to engage growing audiences in the power of the past to help us understand who we are?

We must push forward, fundraising at a level that ensures what the Fairfield Foundation has built will continue to grow. Your support, so vital over the past 25 years, is just as crucial now as it ever has been. We seek to establish endowments to meet long-term funding needs, make historic investments in stabilizing Rosewell and Fairfield and restoring Timberneck, and improve our facilities to provide the research, visitor and archival spaces necessary to operate for another 25 years – and beyond!

Archaeologists often look deep into the past and sift through clues to unravel the human experience, but sometimes we must look far into the future as well – because it can take a long time to find the answers we are looking for, and because we know that future generations will want to continue the search. The journey is as important as the destination, and we are nothing without the people who join us along the way. We are counting on all of you to continue the journey alongside us.

October 2025

Thane Harpole and David Brown