The Fairfield Foundation will host a public dig at the Timberneck House to celebrate International Archaeology Day and Virginia Archaeology Month!

Built in the 1790s, Timberneck is a historic plantation house overlooking the York River in Gloucester County. Generations of the same family lived here until the early 2000s, and today the house is preserved within Machicomoco State Park by the Fairfield Foundation. The site has a rich history of human activity, dating back to Indigenous communities who lived and traveled along the waterways, as well as enslaved and free African Americans, tenant farmers, and families who have cared for the property throughout the modern era.

Current excavations are focused near the 1930s kitchen, where archaeologists are uncovering artifacts such as 19th-century ceramic fragments, glass, and household items that help tell the everyday stories of the people who lived and worked at Timberneck. These digs provide the public with an opportunity to learn how archaeologists interpret the past and to see firsthand the materials that connect us to Virginia’s rich and layered history.

As part of the celebration, Machicomoco State Park will also host its own archaeology program, the Junior Ranger Program, with us from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. For more information, please contact the park by phone or email.