The Past and Future of Rosewell Plantation

Discover the stories, history, and plans for Rosewell Plantation, once considered one of the grandest homes in colonial America.

Rosewell Plantation (1725 – 1738) in Gloucester, VA was once considered one of the grandest, most stately homes in all of colonial America. Built and owned by the Page family, it was here that John Page and his college friend, Thomas Jefferson, first began to explore the ideas of a new republic. Today, after a fire in 1916, it is a mere shell of its former self, but evidence of fine craftsmanship remains. Countless artifacts now lie beneath its soil. Through meticulous preservation, archaeology, and restoration work, what is emerging is not only the history of the structure, but the stories of the people who lived and worked there, most significantly those who were enslaved on the property.

The Forbes House Museum, in partnership with Adventures in Preservation, will be presenting a virtual talk about the preservation progress of and plans for Rosewell Plantation. The talk will be given by Dr. David Brown and Thane Harpole, founders of Fairfield Foundation, and Kenneth Tappan, masonry conservation expert, all of whom know Rosewell Plantation intimately. They will provide detailed anecdotes on their work.

Information will also be provided about how anyone can become involved with the project through volunteering with Adventures in Preservation!

"It is the responsibility of this generation to protect the impressive structure that remains to ensure Rosewell’s stories and lessons can be passed on to future generations. Without preservation and interpretation of historic sites like Rosewell, we risk losing the informed perspectives we now have on the difficult lessons learned over the past 300 years.”

Fairfield Foundation Co-Director, Thane Harpole

This talk is sponsored in part by the National Trust of Historic Preservation.

Dr. David A. Brown is the co-director of the Fairfield Foundation, a not-for-profit organization based in Gloucester that focuses on archaeology, historic preservation and educational outreach. He is also co-owner of DATA Investigations, LLC, a cultural resource management firm that serves eastern Virginia, specializing in work with municipalities, non-profits, and private individuals and businesses. In his spare time, he is an adjunct professor of history at the College of William & Mary, teaching public history and historic preservation.

Thane H. Harpole has served as Co-Director of the Fairfield Foundation (www.fairfieldfoundation.org ) since its founding in 2000. He received a B.A. in Anthropology and History from the College of William and Mary in 1996, and has worked as an archaeologist at the William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research and George Washington’s Mount Vernon. He is also a founding member of the Werowocomoco Research Group, serving as one of the field directors between 2003 and 2010, and a co-owner of DATA Investigations, LLC an archaeological contracting company. He has worked on dozens of sites across the Middle Peninsula and beyond, conducting excavations and historic research, and leading many public archaeology projects. Mr. Harpole also serves as President of the Middle Peninsula Chapter of the Archeological Society of Virginia, and is a member of the Gloucester Historical Committee.

Kenneth Tappan graduated from Christopher Newport University in 2009 with a History undergraduate degree. Shortly after graduation started work at The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in the Historic Masonry Program which focused on both the production of brick and lime using 18th-century methods as well as 18th-century building techniques. In his 15 years at Colonial Williamsburg he assisted with the reconstruction of 18th-century-style buildings from scratch and the restoration efforts on many 18th- and 17th-century buildings.