The Fairfield Foundation sponsors occasional exhibits on subjects related to the plantation and the plantation community. In an attempt to reach the widest possible audience, we have created on-line versions of the exhibits for those of you who cannot get to the museum or who would like to know more about the subject.

Exhibit 1: Women and the Virginia Plantation

This exhibit focuses on the women who lived, worked and died at Fairfield plantation during the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries. The story revolves around four women who lived at different times, came from different backgrounds, participated in different occupations, and experienced life at the plantation as either slave, tenant farmer, or as a member of the landowner's family. Each story is contextualized within the larger scope of Virginia history and is meant to be representative of women in similar situations at these times. Their actions demonstrate the vital part women played in Virginia's agricultural and economic development. In addition to the exhibit there are SOL-related lesson plans available free on our download page. The lesson plans are oriented towards students at the middle and high school level, focusing on women's contributions and roles in American history. An interactive CD-ROM will be available soon at the Gift Shop page that includes the lesson plans and the on-line exhibit suitable for use in a classroom setting.

Exhibit 2: Virtual Fairfield

Virtual Fairfield is an interactive tour of the archaeological research undertaken at Fairfield plantation since 2000. Included within the tour are digital recreations of the manor house and the surrounding landscape from three distinct periods. The recreations were created using evidence from excavations, historic photographs, and comparble historic houses. They represent one interpretation of how the building looked after it was initially constructed (1694), after the south extension was added (circa 1700-1720), and after the west wing came down (circa 1849). Some of the architectural elements, such as dormers and sash windows during the 1694 period, are educated guesses that we hope to confirm as excavations continue. Updated versions of the models will be posted as new findings come to light.