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 building had many problems, but it was a landmark to local history and we wanted to see that it was preserved and once again an integral part of our community.

So we rolled up our sleeves and got to work, raising the funds and recruiting the many volunteers who turned this dream into reality. The finished CAPE, which thousands of you now pass by on a daily basis, is a testament to the hard work of a tremendous number of people over the last seven years, and is something that we can all be proud of.

The CAPE now serves many purposes. It is a pleasing gateway to Gloucester Courthouse and our historic Main Street. It is the headquarters of the Fairfield Foundation, where you can view exhibits about sites where we work, look at our collections, ask questions about local history and artifacts, and join us for weekly lab nights. It is a preservation success story, turning a defunct and inefficient 1930s building into a sustainable modern office and educational space that will endure for decades to come. And, it is an outdoor museum, with interpretive signs, historic gas pumps, and iconic 1930s architecture that anyone is welcome to come see and enjoy.