Volunteer Appreciation and Winter Greetings

There’s just something about the month of December – something in the air, something intangible but noticeable – that seems to put everyone in an infectious good mood. We haven’t been able to escape the spirit ourselves lately, embracing the festive mood by taking this opportunity to express our immeasurable appreciation for all of the hard work our dedicated volunteers have contributed throughout 2012. The volunteer contribution is nothing to sneeze at – in 2012 alone, over 100 individuals volunteered their time to work with us in the field and in the lab, totaling over 5,200 hours!  From grade-schoolers to retirees, volunteers and interns of all ages devoted their precious time to working with Fairfield staff on a multitude of projects, including, of course, our on-going excavations at Fairfield, a survey for the future Middle Peninsula State Park near Rosewell, renovation work at our Edge Hill Service Station, an exciting field trip to visit the Monitor at the Mariner’s Museum, and crucial help dealing with our lab flood and subsequent reshuffling of lab collections. We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: our volunteers are the best, and they inspire us to be better!

Volunteers survey the location of the Arboretum in the future Middle Peninsula State Park.

Volunteers get an exciting sneak peek inside The Monitor at the Mariner’s Museum!

Don’t worry, though, we haven’t quite spent the whole month in party mode! Despite the fact that it is now mid-December, we have on-going projects that will likely continue to keep us in the field throughout a good portion of the winter! In the past few weeks we’ve made return trips to Menokin in Richmond County and St. Paul’s Church in Norfolk. We also continue intermittent work at Wilton in Middlesex County and at White Marsh Cemetery here in Gloucester, and have initiated some survey work in Deltaville for the new Maritime Museum. Thankfully, despite a few days with wind gusts that chill our noses and fingers, we’ve enjoyed unseasonably warm weather for the majority of our outside days.

There have been many winter field days where staff and volunteers have not been quite so lucky with the weather, however! In the spirit of winter and the upcoming holiday season, we’d like to share with you a few of our chillier past moments working outside through the cold winter months!

Dave and Ann confer over a test unit at Fairfield amidst the snow.

A bundled-up Meredith seeks warmth in a recently excavated drain at Rosewell!

Volunteers tough out the chilly temperatures to help excavate at Rosewell during the 2011 Fall History Crawl (in October, no less!).

A charming, younger Dave Brown excavates at Fairfield in the snow with the help of the neighbor’s dog.

Hope you enjoyed the winter walk down memory lane.  Please continue to check our updates as we continue to brave the elements and pursue fieldwork throughout the winter and plan ahead for 2013!  We hope you can join us in the new year.  Happy Holidays!