Members of the Gloucester Retired Educators’ Association learned about many different facets of Gloucester history during the group’s meeting last Thursday at Timberneck Farm Estates.

Thane Harpole, archaeologist with the Fairfield Foundation of Gloucester, spoke to the group about the latest findings around Gloucester’s colonial courthouse and some of the other projects that are underway.

Harpole started out by showing the retired educators a slide of Gloucester Point, which was known in the colonial era as "Gloucester Town." He said this area of the county has remained the most heavily populated area since the 1700s. "It was well developed," Harpole said, "but not quite as extensive as Yorktown."

Moving north to Gloucester Court House, Harpole said less is known about how populated this part of the county was. Known as "Botetourt Town," he said much excitement was stirred up recently when three different foundations we...