Adventures in Preservation

In the summer of 2013, I spent a week in Gloucester, Virginia and had the best time with AiP! Fresh out of college, I was actually able to get hands-on archaeological experience. It was awesome to be able to finally see in real life the material I had covered while obtaining my Anthropology degree.
My program was located at the Fairfield Foundation, and we were working on uncovering the foundations of a 17th century manor house. The two program leaders were supportive, enthusiastic, and extremely welcoming. They provided all of the materials and tools we needed to do the job well, and were thorough and straight-forward in our training. Lots of fun, very educational!

I very much enjoyed working with David, Thane and Anna and I loved continuing my passion in Archaeology. It was so exciting to dig where a house used to be. I have been waiting for an opportunity like this. I was psyched to be in Virginia. It was great to go to Jamestown and Williamsburg and to get a tour of Gloucester. It was a one-of-a-kind experience that I hope to relive again. Thank you so much for this incredible opportunity that I will continue to be a part of year after year.

I had a fantastic time volunteering through AiP in the summer of 2013. I attended the Fairfield Foundation workshop in Virginia.

Working with a group of about eight other participants, we got to dig at the site of a 17th-century plantation house and also learned about historic brickmasonry from experts in the field. The location was perfect for an American history buff and allowed us to take trips to nearby Jamestowne and Colonial Williamsburg in order to help us contextualize what we were working on.

The brickmasonry demonstrations included all facets of the process, including making lime mortar "the old-fashioned way."

I also really enjoyed the group dynamic. Everyone was so enthusiastic and our group was the perfect size for the project. And the people who run the Fairfield Foundation are so knowledgeable. During the workshop I learned a lot about 17th-century Virginia, archaeology, and preservation!

I was lucky enough to be a part of AiP's trip to Gloucester, Virginia in May 2011. We focused on removing and re-glazing the historic windows of Edge Hill, a landmark 1930s Texaco gas station. Though we were unfortunately without the help of the workshop's window expert (due to family emergency), the week was overall successful. David Brown and Thane Harpole are the founders of the Fairfield Foundation - an archaeology, preservation, and education nonprofit - and are restoring and rehabilitating the station for use as the Foundation's headquarters, storage space, and community multipurpose center. The two grabbed the reins in the absence of the window expert and with their guidance, we removed and replaced three large windows' glass as safely and efficiently as possible.

The group size - about seven people - was terrific. Everyone was able to work with each other closely and David and Thane could instruct, supervise, and help those of us who some might call less skilled (...) as necessary. As the youngest member of the group, I was a bit nervous starting the week off, but the age range (from 22 to 60- or 70-something) turned out to be one of the best parts of the trip. Everyone could learn something, and everyone got along extremely well -- enthusiasm for preservation work bringing people together!

The trip included a tour of historic downtown Gloucester, as well as trips to the Rosewell Ruins, the Fairfield Foundation's archaeology night, and Colonial Williamsburg (behind the scenes with the Archaeology Department - so cool!). While these extra trips, and perhaps Gloucester itself, were not the most easily accessible, AiP and David and Thane (along with their families) were so graciously accommodating that my carless self had a ride to and from the airport, the project site, and all the extra field trips.

This AiP trip was a wonderful introduction to preservation work - my first trip - and I hope I can make it back to Gloucester this coming summer!

This particular workshop I participated in was in Gjirokastra, Albania, in September 2010. It was organized by AiP, along with an important partner, Cultural Heritage Without Borders (CHwB).

Workshop participants took part in the rehabilitation of a former residential building with fortified turrets (kule) called Babameto I. Because of the materials used and its stone construction, this building of Ottoman design is characteristic of Balkans region architecture in the 17th and 16th centuries. The district was designated a “museum city” by the government in 1961. Later in 2005, it was listed on the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites. Despite this recognition and legal protection, Babameto I is typical of the extremely precarious situation of similar large residential buildings in Albania. Because of complex problems of property rights, neglect, lack of maintenance, and economic problems in general, these buildings are quickly deteriorating and at risk of collapsing under the enormous weight of their stone roofs.

I found many benefits to participating to this workshop. AiP provides practical instruction (via the experts) about the local techniques of conservation. It also provides theory instruction, which is very important when coming from a different country. This workshop proved to be an incredible networking opportunity, which is very valuable on both personal and professional levels.

I appreciated that however well organized the leaders are, it was still up to the participants to bring in their own background experience in order to make this workshop something more than just lime plastering or woodworking. The knowledge and the know-how provided through this AiP workshop was based on shared experience.

It was also great to be able to know more about the administrative and political forces that are driving conservation projects in Albania, as well as to compare it with the standards and guidelines developed elsewhere.

I highly recommend it.