Archaeologists are always finding remarkable features that provide new insight into the colonial world. One type of feature that shows up with some regularity, yet receives very little attention, is the lowly drain. Serving a strictly utilitarian, though very useful, purpose and intentionally buried upon completion, drains are rarely remembered and generally forgotten. On many […]
New Challenges and New Discoveries at New Quarter Park
Every research excavation has that moment when you must decide whether to keep digging, or focus your energies on the inside work- whether it’s the artifact washing, cataloging, and report writing that accompanies any archaeology project, or potentially pulling together exhibits, lectures, and other outreach to the public. We say “research excavation” because often archaeologists are salvaging […]
Scouting and Archaeology at Fairfield
Florida. Massachusetts. New Jersey. Yorktown. Throughout the summer season, Boy Scout troops from near and far converge at Fairfield Plantation to try their hand at archaeological excavation under the hot Virginia sun. Many of these Scouts are brought together through the Bayport Scout Reservation in Jamaica, Virginia, where they spend a week working on a variety […]
Fairfield’s History Mysteries: the elusive early cellar
Fairfield Plantation has no ghost stories (that we know of…), but we have plenty of mysteries. How was the west wing lost in 1839? Why was there a chicken tied to the front porch in 1897? Who relic hunted the top of the well adjacent the house in the mid-1980s? The most intriguing mystery? Where […]
Another Fairfield Adventure In Preservation!
When people first think about the Fairfield Foundation, they typically think about our archaeology programs, our public outreach, or perhaps our future home: the Center for Archaeology, Preservation and Education (CAPE). But there is something else you should know about us. We love architectural history, too! We love old gas stations (obviously), old houses, and […]
Buried Stories of St. Paul’s Church
St. Paul’s Church stands amidst a serene, tree-shrouded cemetery in downtown Norfolk. It’s tall brick walls, erected in 1739, are monuments to Norfolk’s colonial importance, and its tumultuous history. But even this ancient edifice hides a deeper history: an earlier church, built in 1699, is somewhere beneath the ground surface, and its story has not […]
Come Help us Rebuild Fairfield, One Brick at a Time
One of the most frequent questions we hear about our research at Fairfield Plantation is “Are you going to rebuild the house?” This is an excellent question, and one that has us dreaming of the day that this magnificent brick manor house might stand yet again as a testament to both the Burwell family and […]
Back by Popular Demand: Abingdon Glebe Dig History! Archaeology Day Camp
Coming up next month, we will be continuing our popular kids archaeology camp at Abingdon Glebe. Thanks to continued interest from families in the community. as well as continued support from our co-host Fr. Kevin Sweeney at St. James Anglican Church, the Dig History! Archaeology Camp is ON again for June 23, 24, and 25! […]
Fairfield Internships: The who, what, when, where, why, and how!
Are you wondering how you (or your high school students) are going to spend some of those countless weeks of summer? Are you looking for a unique, exciting, hands-on experience that can nourish your interest in archaeology and history? The Fairfield Foundation summer internship program could be the place for you! With over 120 interns during […]
Public Archaeology at Burwell’s Quarter in New Quarter Park
Archaeologists from the Fairfield Foundation will venture across the York River to New Quarter Park in York County, to conduct a public archaeology project on an 18th-century site related to the Burwell family. The Burwells, who owned Fairfield in Gloucester, as well as Carter’s Grove and Kingsmill near Williamsburg, were a powerful and important colonial […]
