The Fairfield Foundation is one of 12 inaugural recipients to receive a grant from the Virginia Museum History & Culture’s Commonwealth History Fund. Fairfield’s grant is in the amount of $25,000.
The Commonwealth History Fund is made possible by donations from Dominion Energy and is administered in partnership with Virginia’s Department of Historic Resources. It was established to provide grants annually to history organizations and projects across Virginia.
Key selection criteria include: the significance of the project or resource as well as its impact on its community and the commonwealth; the emphasis of the project on historically underrepresented topics and communities; as well as the need for funding and the urgency of the project. This year, $402,500 was awarded to 12 organizations, and the VMHC plans to give nearly $2 million over the first five years.
“Through this amazing opportunity, we will be able to give back to our communities by implementing a project that will help us to continue telling the story of Virginia and have a lasting impact on future generations,” a release from the Fairfield Foundation stated.
The Fairfield Foundation plans to use the funds to complete a small but critical part of a much larger restoration effort at Timberneck House, situated in Hayes in Machicomoco State Park, on the north bank of the York River overlooking Timberneck Creek.
The project involves masonry work to repair and stabilize the southwest corner of the house foundation. While the project description is simple, the skills required are specific and technical. This project is one of three key preservation priorities that will ensure stabilization of the building and allow the remaining elements of the restoration to proceed. The southwest corner of the building has a failing section of foundation and several damaged framing timbers that need imminent repair, the Fairfield Foundation release stated.
It is currently stabilized with steel beams, but further restoration tasks are waiting until this crucial repair is made. The group has also conducted archaeology around the foundation to learn more about the evolution of the building and its residents, while looking for other below-grade stabilization issues.
Although there are more foundation issues to address, the southwest corner is the most critical for the survival of the building. “Now that we have made repairs to the roof and the windows, repairing the southwest corner of the house is the next major step towards moving our larger vision for Timberneck house forward,” the release stated.
The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation leased the Timberneck house and three acres of the park to Fairfield for 49 years. Fairfield will restore and repurpose the house and conduct archaeology and historic preservation programs for diverse audiences, including park visitors, history enthusiasts, and students/professionals.
More information on The Commonwealth History Fund can be found at VirginiaHistory.org/HistoryFund.