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You are here: Home / Archives for Gloucester History

October 26, 2022 By Fairfield Foundation

Mary Willis Burwell’s Portrait Returns to Gloucester

Written by Sara Lewis, Development Officer              On a fall day in 1736, when Lewis Burwell (1711/12-1756) married Mary Willis (1718-1746), it may have been crisp and sunny with orange-yellow leaves rustling under foot, a day not unlike today. Although we don’t know exactly where the nuptials took place, we can imagine that they were as […]

Filed Under: History, Preservation Tagged With: 18th Century, Colonial History, Colonial Portraiture, Colonial Virginia, Fairfield Plantation, Gloucester History, Lewis Burwell, Mary Willis Burwell

October 18, 2022 By Fairfield Foundation

Looking Towards the Future: A Peek Inside the Development of Fairfield’s New Online Museum

Guest blog by summer intern Ashleigh Cannata, a graduate student from the University of Maryland, College Park. Often museums are seen as places strictly with four walls, endless winding hallways, and a plethora of information it would take days to get through. However, following the COVID-19 pandemic and its lasting effects on our daily lives […]

Filed Under: Archaeology, Education, History, Preservation Tagged With: archaeology, Artifacts, Burwell, Colonial History, Enslaved History, Fairfield Plantation, Gloucester History, Virtual Exhibit

October 5, 2022 By Fairfield Foundation

Summer Archaeology Camps 2022

Blog written by Rachel Boyd, Public Outreach Coordinator The summer is over, and school is back in session.  Hopefully our summer camp kids will talk about their time at Fairfield Plantation, learning what it was like to be an archaeologist… or how many tunnels they dug in the backfill. The beginning of fall is a […]

Filed Under: Archaeology, Education, Events, History, Preservation Tagged With: Archaeology Summer Camp, education, Fairfield Archaeology Park, Fairfield Plantation, Gloucester History

June 17, 2022 By Fairfield Foundation

Help Us Enrich the African American Story at Fairfield Archaeology Park

By Sara Lewis, Fairfield Foundation Development Officer The Fairfield Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization in Gloucester, Virginia, has used its flagship Fairfield/Carter’s Creek archaeological site in White Marsh as one of its locations for historic preservation and educational outreach since 2000. The organization is planning to open the site to the public as a place for […]

Filed Under: Education, History Tagged With: African American, Fairfield Archaeology Park, Gloucester History, Juneteenth, Plantation, slavery, Thruston

May 4, 2022 By Fairfield Foundation

Restoring the Timberneck House

The Fairfield Foundation began the restoration of the Timberneck House in 2020 as part of a long-term lease agreement with the Commonwealth of Virginia to repair and use the house for exhibits and short-term accommodation. This undertaking involves many facets, including historical research, archaeological investigations, design work, building preservation, and more. One of our primary […]

Filed Under: Archaeology, Education, History, Preservation Tagged With: 18th Century, 19th century, Catlett Family, Gloucester History, Historic Preservation, Machicomoco State Park, Restoration, Timberneck

February 18, 2022 By Fairfield Foundation

Lives from the Catlett Family Cemetery at Timberneck: Frances King Burwell Catlett (November 14, 1814-April 3, 1903)

By Sara Lewis, Development Officer This blog is part of a series about the Catlett family members buried at Timberneck in Gloucester County. “Fanny” was the eighth child of Armistead Burwell (1771-1841) and Mary Cole Turnbull (1782-1860) of Dinwiddie County, Virginia. Her parents had 13 children in about 20 years and Fanny grew up with […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: 19th century, Burwell, Catlett, Catlett Family, Geneaology, Gloucester History, Timberneck

August 26, 2021 By Fairfield Foundation

Lives from the Catlett Cemetery at Timberneck

William Burwell Catlett (December 29, 1847-October 18, 1865) Blog written by Sara Lewis, Fairfield Foundation Development Officer and lover of genealogy The Catlett cemetery at Timberneck is the final resting place for many members of the Catlett’s extensive family. Our effort to preserve and interpret the house includes stewardship of the cemetery, and our goal […]

Filed Under: Education, History Tagged With: 19th century history, Burwell, Catlett, genealogy, Gloucester History, Timberneck

April 26, 2021 By Fairfield Foundation

Dr. Walter Reed and Yellow Fever: Part 2

In case you missed it: Dr. Walter Reed and Yellow Fever Part 1 When the Civil War broke out, Walter Reed’s older brothers, Tom and James, fought on the side of the Confederacy. The Reed family had left Gloucester County and were living in the Piedmont countryside.  Walter, who was barely a teenager at the […]

Filed Under: Education, Preservation Tagged With: 19th century, 20th century, Epidemic, Gloucester County, Gloucester History, Modern Medicine, Pandemic, Walter Reed, Walter Reed Birthplace, Yellow Fever

April 7, 2021 By Fairfield Foundation

Archaeology is revealing important clues about Woodville School

Guest blog written by Colleen Betti, doctoral candidate at UNC-Chapel Hill and long-time Fairfield Foundation friend and collaborator. In a December 2020 blog, I gave brief updates on my excavations at three of Gloucester’s historic Black schools: Woodville, Glenns/Dragon, and Bethel. Now I’d like to dive deeper into the archaeology of Woodville School and explain […]

Filed Under: Archaeology, Preservation Tagged With: 19th century, 20th century, archaeology, Gloucester History, Gloucester's black schools, historic schools, Rosenwald, Woodville School

September 28, 2012 By Fairfield Foundation

Celebrate Gloucester’s Past: The 3rd Annual Gloucester Fall History Crawl!

It’s that time of year again! How would you like to spend a fall day exploring four of Gloucester’s premier historic sites and sampling delicious food from some of Gloucester’s finest eateries? Join the Fairfield Foundation, the Rosewell Foundation and the Joseph Bryan Branch of Preservation Virginia on October 27th from 11:30 a.m. to 5 […]

Filed Under: Archaeology, Education, Events, Preservation Tagged With: Abingdon Glebe, Fairfield, Gloucester History, Historical Tour, Roswell, Walter Reed Birthplace

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Upcoming Events

Feb
7
Tue
6:00 pm Volunteer Lab Night @ CAPE
Volunteer Lab Night @ CAPE
Feb 7 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Volunteer Lab Nights have returned to the CAPE! Join us from 6-9 pm on the first and third Tuesdays of each month to help wash artifacts, learn about archaeology, and more! Free and open to[...]
Feb
9
Thu
10:00 am King William Courthouse Public A...
King William Courthouse Public A...
Feb 9 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Join us at our public dig days at King William Courthouse, every second and fourth Thursday of the month! Ongoing excavations are investigating a possible 18th-century tavern location, and future archaeology will explore other areas[...]
Feb
11
Sat
10:00 am Timberneck Open House @ Machicomoco State Park
Timberneck Open House @ Machicomoco State Park
Feb 11 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Timberneck House in Machicomoco State Park will be open for tours from 10-2 every 2nd Saturday of the month through throughout 2023, and additionally open on the 4th Saturday between April and October. Visit the[...]
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  • Archaeology (96)
  • drone (5)
  • Education (101)
  • Events (44)
  • History (13)
  • Preservation (104)
  • Uncategorized (3)

From the blog

  • King William Courthouse and Quarles Tavern Archaeology January 25, 2023
  • Mary Willis Burwell’s Portrait Returns to Gloucester October 26, 2022
  • Looking Towards the Future: A Peek Inside the Development of Fairfield’s New Online Museum October 18, 2022
  • Summer Archaeology Camps 2022 October 5, 2022
  • Help Us Enrich the African American Story at Fairfield Archaeology Park June 17, 2022

Center for Archaeology, Preservation and Education (CAPE)

Opening Hours:

Grounds are open to the public to view our building exterior and signage. The CAPE is open for tours on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or at other times by appointment. Lab nights at the CAPE are on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays from 6-9pm.
6783 Main Street
Gloucester, VA 23061

News From the Blog

  • King William Courthouse and Quarles Tavern Archaeology January 25, 2023
  • Mary Willis Burwell’s Portrait Returns to Gloucester October 26, 2022
  • Looking Towards the Future: A Peek Inside the Development of Fairfield’s New Online Museum October 18, 2022

Looking for Something?

Contact Us

For more information about Fairfield and other historic resources on the Middle Peninsula, please contact us. We can arrange tours of the Fairfield site and deliver presentations on a variety of topics related to local history and archaeology.

The Fairfield Foundation
P.O. Box 157 White Marsh VA 23183
Phone:
(804) 815-4467
Email:
fairfield@fairfieldfoundation.org
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