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You are here: Home / Archives for local history

April 24, 2019 By Fairfield Foundation

Delving into Gloucester’s Public School Past

Guest blog written by Colleen Betti, current doctoral candidate at UNC-Chapel Hill and long-time Fairfield Foundation friend. In 1912, Gloucester County’s surveyor and superintendent of public schools, R.A. Folkes, illustrated a map showing all of the public schools in the county. At the time, he identified 20 black schools and 20 white schools.  This nearly […]

Filed Under: Education, Preservation Tagged With: 19th century, 20th century, education, gloucester, local history, public education, public schools, segregation

February 25, 2019 By Fairfield Foundation

Irene Morgan: Virginia’s Freedom Fighter

            In 1944, a woman named Irene Morgan was riding a bus from Hayes to her home in Baltimore.  Ms. Morgan was at a hard point in her life.  She was a mother to several children and had just suffered a painful and dangerous pregnancy ending in miscarriage.  After an operation associated with this, she […]

Filed Under: Preservation Tagged With: 20th century, Black History Month, Civil Rights, Gloucester County, local history, Oral History

October 26, 2018 By Fairfield Foundation

Gone Before We Knew to Look: Searching for Green Book Sites in Rural Virginia

This project arose out of a seemingly random email.  Dr. Jessica Taylor (Virginia Tech) caught a reference to the Watkins Motel and Florist at Gloucester Courthouse when she was conducting background research for our collaborative oral history project on Main Street (supported by the Gloucester Main Street Preservation Trust).  She passed along a link to […]

Filed Under: Education, Preservation Tagged With: Architectural Conservation, education, Engagement, fairfield foundation, local history, Oral History, Preservation

May 3, 2018 By Fairfield Foundation

Anything But Ordinary

Twenty years ago, two young archaeology students, David Brown and Thane Harpole, surveyed a farmstead site located in Gloucester County, Virginia, dating to the late 17th to early 18th centuries. The property was originally patented in the 1670s by Robert Bryan and was eventually part of the adjacent Belle Farm plantation. After the Civil War, […]

Filed Under: Archaeology, Education, Preservation Tagged With: 18th Century, Archaeological collections, archaeology, Artifacts, Collections, local history, Plantation, Research, Volunteers

April 17, 2018 By Fairfield Foundation

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 […]

Filed Under: Education, Events, Preservation Tagged With: Architectural Conservation, CAPE, Community, Edge Hill Service Station, education, Engagement, fairfield foundation, Fundraising, Gloucester County, Gloucester Courthouse, local history, Preservation, Restoration, Volunteers

March 17, 2018 By Fairfield Foundation

The Hall Site: A “Hallmark” of Mathews County

Guest Blog author Katie Brauckmann has worked with the Fairfield Foundation/DATA Investigations for three years, first as a volunteer and intern, and now as a part-time employee. Katie is a sophomore anthropology major at James Madison University.  The Hall Site (44MT0173) is a predominately 18th-century site located in Mathews County, Virginia. Conrad Hall, former President […]

Filed Under: Archaeology, Education, Preservation Tagged With: 18th Century, 19th century, archaeology, Artifacts, education, excavation, Guest Post, local history, Mathews County, Research, survey

November 29, 2017 By Fairfield Foundation

Two New Fairfield Preservation Initiatives: Documenting and Preserving Sites Across the Middle Peninsula

The Fairfield Foundation has long supported preservation efforts on the Middle Peninsula and surrounding areas through public archaeology, historical research, oral histories and preservation advocacy. As our Center for Archaeology, Preservation, and Education (CAPE) nears completion we are redoubling our efforts within the community to broaden our impact and demonstrate the value of historic places. […]

Filed Under: Archaeology, Education, Preservation Tagged With: archaeology, Architectural Conservation, Artifacts, CAPE, Engagement, fairfield foundation, local history, Preservation, Research, Volunteers

November 20, 2016 By Fairfield Foundation

Mobjack: Starfish, Pickled Herring and Hidden Stories of Mathews County

One of the best parts of our work is the idea that you can discover something new and exciting every day.  Most of you see this excitement from our archaeological excavations, and if you visit our facebook page you can see how frequent these discoveries occur.  But there are other discoveries to be had, ranging from fascinating oral […]

Filed Under: Preservation Tagged With: Architectural Conservation, Engagement, local history, Mathews County, Oral History, Preservation, Research

June 23, 2016 By Fairfield Foundation

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 […]

Filed Under: Archaeology, Education, Preservation Tagged With: 18th Century, Abindgon Church, Architectural Conservation, Burwell family, Carter's Grove, Community, education, Fairfield Plantation, Gloucester County, local history, Preservation

May 30, 2016 By Fairfield Foundation

Archaeology in Search of Thomas Carter

     When you mention the Carters of Lancaster County, or Virginia in general, the typical Virginia history buff thinks of the remarkably wealthy and powerful Robert “King” Carter, wealthiest man in Virginia at the beginning of the 18th century. Unbeknownst to most, though, is an unrelated but important family of Carters who also settled in Lancaster, not […]

Filed Under: Archaeology, Education, Preservation Tagged With: 18th Century, archaeology, Artifacts, Carter Society, Engagement, Lancaster County, local history, public archaeology, survey, Thomas Carter, Volunteers

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Upcoming Events

Apr
1
Sat
10:00 am Daffodil Festival Public Archaeo...
Daffodil Festival Public Archaeo...
Apr 1 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
We are so excited to be resuming our public excavations during the Daffodil Festival in 2023! Come visit us in the green space in front of County Office Building 2, close to the sidewalk, as[...]
10:00 am Timberneck Open House @ Machicomoco State Park
Timberneck Open House @ Machicomoco State Park
Apr 1 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Timberneck House in Machicomoco State Park will be open for tours from 10-2 on Saturday, April 1, in conjunction with the Daffodil Festival celebration in Gloucester! No foolin’!
10:00 am Walter Reed Birthplace Tours @ Walter Reed Birthplace
Walter Reed Birthplace Tours @ Walter Reed Birthplace
Apr 1 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
The Walter Reed Birthplace will be open for tours on Saturday, April 1, in conjunction with Daffodil Festival celebrations in Gloucester! Stop by between 10-2 to tour the house and to learn more about Dr.[...]
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From the blog

  • The Plant-Cutter Riots and Fairfield Plantation March 9, 2023
  • 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

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

  • The Plant-Cutter Riots and Fairfield Plantation March 9, 2023
  • King William Courthouse and Quarles Tavern Archaeology January 25, 2023
  • Mary Willis Burwell’s Portrait Returns to Gloucester October 26, 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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