The Fairfield Foundation

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About Us

Our Mission: To promote and involve the public in hands-on archaeology, preservation and education activities within Virginia’s Middle Peninsula and surrounding areas. The Fairfield Foundation is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization headquartered in Gloucester, Virginia, and has been expanding its public programs, research opportunities and outreach activities since 2000. The Fairfield Foundation operates five properties in Gloucester County: Fairfield Archaeology Park, Timberneck House at Machicomoco, Edge Hill Texaco (the C.A.P.E.), Rosewell Ruin and Visitor Center, and Walter Reed birthplace.

Archaeology
With the help of many volunteers and generous donors, we investigate all aspects of our region’s history through a variety of hands-on excavation and lab opportunities. We strive to bring the past to life by helping the public see, question and participate in the process of discovering history. Read More

Preservation
We are committed to helping property owners, businesses, educational institutions, local governments and the general public identify, learn about and promote their historical resources—including buildings, archaeological sites, documents and oral history—to ensure their survival for future generations. Read More

Education
In addition to working to preserve historic and culturally significant artifacts, the Fairfield Foundation has established educational programs with local public and private schools in Gloucester, Mathews, Middlesex and King William Counties, as well as in several neighboring cities and counties across the Middle Peninsula and beyond. We also host public education programs at parks and historic sites in the area, and work with scouting groups, civic organizations and historical societies to broaden interest in Virginia’s history. Read More

Our History
Established in 2000, the Fairfield Foundation began with a focus on archaeological research and public outreach at Fairfield Plantation in Gloucester County, the prominent seat of the Burwell family, and home to generations of other families, both free and enslaved. We have grown to include innovative, nationally-recognized educational programs, developed a dedicated corps of volunteers who have donated over 100,000 hours to our mission, and documented one of the most dynamic colonial landscapes in Virginia. As the Fairfield Archaeology Park, the plantation is the cornerstone of our outreach programs, which include workshops combining archaeology and architectural conservation, our popular and well-attended dig days, summer archaeology camps, and a successful internship program that introduces students from across the country to the world of archaeological and historical research, public outreach, and cultural resource stewardship.

Since our founding, our mission and reach have expanded to include archaeological survey, excavations, historical documentation and public outreach across the region. Today the Fairfield Foundation is the preeminent archaeological research and preservation organization on the Middle Peninsula. The foundation works with the Gloucester Historical Society, Gloucester Genealogical Society of Virginia, the Rosewell Foundation, the Gloucester Preservation Foundation, the Middle Peninsula Chapter of the Archeological Society of Virginia, the Mathews County Historical Society, the Middlesex Historical Society and Museum, York County’s New Quarter Park, the Tidewater Virginia Historical Society, and many other groups, to advance the broader study, recognition, and preservation of the region’s history and historical resources.

In 2010 we purchased the 1930 Edge Hill Service Station in Gloucester Courthouse to become our future headquarters, archaeological lab, and outreach center known as the Center for Archaeology, Preservation, and Education (CAPE). This facility allows us to offer numerous public programs, and further our efforts to engage with Middle Peninsula residents. The preservation of this iconic resource increases our access to an increasingly interested public and provides much needed space to bolster our successful volunteer and educational programs. The accurate restoration of this building highlights our efforts to preserve community history, and serves as an example of the sensitive reuse of an historic structure. We are also currently restoring the Timberneck House at Machicomoco State Park, maintaining the Walter Reed Birthplace, and stabilizing the Rosewell Ruin. Whether it is through the preservation of an old building, the study of an archaeological site, or the recording of an oral history or ancient document, we are demonstrating the value of preserving the past for the future, and we want you to join us. Click here to learn more about getting involved with Fairfield, and plan a visit to our 5 properties soon!

Board of Directors

Thomas Karow, President
bobbi hatton, Vice President 
Janet Brown, Secretary
Lori Jackson Black, Treasurer
 Chris Doyel                                                                                                                                          Lynn Lewis
 Kasey Molloy                                                                                                                                     
 Elizabeth Wood Santini
 Pattie Sobieski
 Marilyn South
 William Weaver

Our Team

Dr. David Brown, Co-Director     dave@fairfieldfoundation.org

Thane Harpole, Co-Director     thane@fairfieldfoundation.org

Anna Rhodes, Senior Staff Archaeologist     anna@fairfieldfoundation.org

Sara Lewis, Development Officer     membership@fairfieldfoundation.org

Rachel Boyd, Public Outreach Coordinator outreach@fairfieldfoundation.org

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Blog Categories

  • 3D model (6)
  • Archaeology (99)
  • drone (6)
  • Education (105)
  • Events (45)
  • History (21)
  • Preservation (110)
  • Uncategorized (4)

From the blog

  • Remembering George Wesley Catlett February 27, 2025
  • Wood’s Mill: an Overlooked Chapter of Gloucester Hall’s History December 2, 2024
  • The Revolutionary World of Lewis Burwell July 2, 2024
  • Lives from the Catlett Family Cemetery at Timberneck: Robert, Mary, and John Thruston January 31, 2024
  • “The best church I have seen in the country” Excavations in search of the 17th-century Abingdon Church January 12, 2024

Center for Archaeology, Preservation and Education (CAPE)

Opening Hours:

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

News From Our Blog

  • Remembering George Wesley Catlett February 27, 2025
  • Wood’s Mill: an Overlooked Chapter of Gloucester Hall’s History December 2, 2024
  • The Revolutionary World of Lewis Burwell July 2, 2024

Looking for Something?

Contact Us

The Fairfield Foundation's mission is to promote and involve the public in hands-on archaeology, preservation and education activities within Virginia’s Middle Peninsula and surrounding areas. We are a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization offering public programs, research opportunities and outreach activities since 2000. We operate five properties in Gloucester County: Fairfield Archaeology Park, Timberneck House at Machicomoco, Edge Hill Texaco (the C.A.P.E.), Rosewell Ruins and Visitor Center, and Walter Reed birthplace. For more information about us and other historic resources on the Middle Peninsula or to arrange presentations on a variety of topics related to local history and archaeology, please contact us. Check out the calendar for upcoming activities.
The Fairfield Foundation
P.O. Box 157 White Marsh VA 23183
Phone:
(804) 815-4467
Email:
fairfield@fairfieldfoundation.org
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