Since our founding in 2000, the Fairfield Foundation has been dedicated to involving the community in our efforts to discover and preserve local history through hands-on learning experiences. These include public dig days, lab nights,school programs and activities at local events and festivals. Victoria Gum excavates with young volunteers at the Gloucester Daffodil Festival in […]
Fairfield Mantel Returns Home
The Fairfield manor house is most recognized for its massive diagonally-set chimney stacks. which stand out to anyone who sees them. The house had several sets, including two doubles and two triples, although one set was lost around 1839 when the west wing came down. These iconic elements of this once grand building are only […]
The CAPE crosses the finish line!
With the recent ribbon cutting at the CAPE we have reached the exciting end of a long journey. In 2010 we purchased the Edge Hill Service Station and embarked on a dream to transform this 1930s gas station into a regional center for the archaeological, preservation and education efforts of the Fairfield Foundation. The […]
Preserving Fairfield from the Ground Up!
Last week we hosted our second Adventures in Preservation (AiP) workshop of 2017 and made great progress at Fairfield Plantation. We opened a new excavation block on the south end of the house foundation, and continued work around a collapsed chimney that we’ve been excavating for the past two summers. The AiP participants (aka “Jammers”) started […]
Fairfield, Abingdon, and Carter’s Grove, 1924
One of the most interesting emails we’ve received in the Fairfield Foundation’s sixteen year existence arrived on March 9th at 11:09 pm. The subject line was simple: Old Pictures. It started our minds racing, especially after more than 15 years of researching the history of Fairfield plantation, and the Burwell, Thruston, and other families that lived […]
Expanding the Boundaries of Preservation at Walter Reed Birthplace
One of the most satisfying moments for any preservationist is knowing, beyond a doubt, that they have preserved a part of the past for the benefit of future generations. At the Fairfield Foundation, we look at preservation in the broadest sense possible – whether saving a building, preserving an old document, or recording stories through […]
Toddsbury: Rediscovering a Lost Plantation Landscape
Five buildings in one day. Not even a full day – maybe half a day. In the span of about four hours our entire perspective of Toddsbury, one of Gloucester County’s best known and most beloved historic properties, changed completely. Alongside residents Mollie, Mary and Carter (grand-daughter, mother and grand-mother), whose personal history at this […]
A Look at Colonial Drains
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 […]
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 […]
My First Field Week Experience with Fairfield: Evelyn Ayala
The following is a guest blog written by Fairfield Foundation volunteer and Adventures in Preservation workshop participant Evelyn Ayala, detailing her adventures during her first week of archaeological excavation and preservation work. With the help of Adventures in Preservation, I spent a five-day week excavating and learning with the Fairfield Foundation. I’ll admit I was […]
