Adventure Details
Excursions, Immersion and Other Fun
Explore the magnificent Rosewell ruins
Enjoy Tuesday lab night with the community
Take walking tour of Gloucester Courthouse Circle and Downtown Historic District
Visit Bacon’s Castle, the oldest brick dwelling in the US
Possibilities include Williamsburg, Yorktown or Jamestown.
Project LEADERS
Dr. Dave Brown
Co-Director of The Fairfield Foundation, Dave has a PhD in History from The College of William and Mary and an M.A. in History/Historical Archaeology from The University of Massachusetts at Boston. He has taught and worked in the field of archaeology since 1994, including five years with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Dave helped start and co-owns DATA Investigations LLC, a cultural resource management firm based in Gloucester County and is a founding member of the Werowocomoco Research Group, conducting research on the future national park property since 2001.
Thane Harpole
Thane is co-Director of The Fairfield Foundation and has an M.A. in History/Historical Archaeology from The University of Massachusetts Boston. He is also owner of DATA Investigations LLC, a cultural resource management company. He runs multiple archaeological projects, including large-scale excavations focused on the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck of Virginia. Thane is also a founding member of the Werowocomoco Research Group, conducting research on the future national park property since 2001.
Project Founders
Take this opportunity to support conservation at the Fairfield Plantation:
Project Partners
The Fairfield Foundation
The Fairfield Foundation, a non-profit organization, is dedicated to archaeological and historical research, public education and preservation in Gloucester Country. Centered at the 17th- and 18th-century plantation and ancestral home of the Burwell family, Fairfield, the foundation contributes to knowledge of plantation life and supports the preservation of historic resources within the region.
Cost
Double Room: US$1050 per week
Single Room: US$1,290 per week
Student/Local Resident no lodging: US$250 per week
Student with lodging:
Double Room: US$850 per week
Single Room US$1090 per week
Discounts! Past participants always receive a discounted tour fee.
Additional Cost Information
All costs are per person per session
Your fee includes:
Lodging
Breakfasts and lunches
Excursions
Insurance while working at the site
Training and materials
Participants are responsible for:
Transportation to Gloucester, Virginia
Visa, if needed
Dinners
Travel health insurance, if coming from outside the US. Send AiP proof of purchase.
ARCHAEOLOGY SITE AT FAIRFIELD PLANTATION
GLOUCESTER, VIRGINIA, USA
Dig into History with Fairfield Foundation
2024 Registration Closed - Join us in 2025!
Learn excavating skills and the latest 3D technology as you help The Fairfield Foundation with archaeology and preservation fieldwork at the Colonial-era plantation manor house.
Why Volunteer at Fairfield
Experience the thrill of using innovative technologies to re-discover history at the Fairfield Plantation. Take excavations to the next level and continue exciting work to complete a three-dimensional model of the plantation using tools from trowels to drones.
Fairfield was home to one of Virginia’s magnificent manor houses, once surrounded by 7,000 acres of tobacco fields and forestland at the heart of Gloucester County, just north of Williamsburg. You can join the community effort to uncover and digitally record, recreate, and reimagine the historic landscape at the plantation.
David and Thane are so knowledgeable and create such a fun, engaging atmosphere. I did think going a second time would be kind of a repeat. Boy, was I wrong! You can’t dig with those guys and not learn something new.
– Angie
Project and Need
Five generations of the Burwell family lived at Fairfield, designing the landscape and controlling the environment for their own benefit. Their story includes the lives of many enslaved Africans and African-Americans who were forced to labor for the Burwells’ financial success, but experienced a very different life of their own.
After three years of drone-based photogrammetry, hundreds of photographs – both past and present – have been stitched together to generate a highly accurate digital model of the site. 3D printers are now being used to create a highly accurate replica of the site and the manor house based on the digital model.
You and other volunteers will learn excavating skills and apply them to ongoing work. Your efforts will be represented in the model. Students and visitors can take the model apart and experience the same process of discovery as the archaeologists.
The Fairfield Foundation relies heavily on volunteers like you to help with excavation and cataloging of archaeological finds as they are uncovered.
How You Will Help the Community
The Fairfield Foundation is dedicated to involving the community in their efforts to discover and preserve local history. They provide hands-on activities, such as public dig days and Tuesday lab night, for people of all ages who want to experience an archaeological dig or help preserve and restore historic structures.
Volunteers like you are helping uncover fascinating glimpses into a world seldom recorded in historical documents. Excavations are revealing the long-lost layout and design of the manor house and clues to the location and layout of slave cabins. Each bit of work furthers research into the site’s complex history, helping future visitors better understand the plantation era.
Lodging and Meals
Out-of-town jammers stay at the Hampton Inn in Gloucester, and eat breakfast at the hotel. Lunches are provided either on-site or in town as a mid-day break. Dinners are at your own expense, but we select from Gloucester’s great restaurants and go as a group.
Costs
The Standard Fee for the week is US$1050 for lodging in a double room, or US$1290 for a single room. A special Resident Rate of US$250 is available for Fairfield Foundation members and residents of Gloucester County.
The Student Rate, for current students not requiring lodging, is US$250. For students who need lodging, the fee is US$850 for a double room, or US$1090 for a single room.
Spent an amazing week with wonderful people and I would recommend everybody to live this unique experience.
– Annabel 2017
Travel Details
If you are arriving by air, airport pickup is available at Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport. Alternatives include Norfolk International and Richmond International, both 90 minute drives. Pick up is not available at Norfolk or Richmond, but rental cars are available at each destination.
Temperatures are usually quite warm and humidity levels may be high. Shorts or jeans with a t-shirt work well. Closed toed shoes are required. Be sure to bring sunscreen, bug repellent and a water bottle.
If you would like assistance with travel arrangements, contact Peace Frogs Travel/Outfitters, AiP’s partnering travel agency.
If you have any questions or would like to chat with an AiP staff member about joining this volunteer vacation, contact us at trips@adventuresinpreservation.org or call +1 303-444-0128.