Rediscovered in the late
1930s, the site of Old
Fairfield Village was
excavated early in the career
of Wilfrid Jury, who was
later responsible for
excavating Sainte-Marie among
the Hurons in Midland,
Ontario. This exhibit
investigates not only the
| recovery of historical
artefacts, but also the
process of archaeology as it
existed 60 years ago, and its
impact on a small community.
Jury was always a
controversial archaeologist,
and some examples of his
field notes, maps and
numerous photographs are
| presented. With each
artefact, the lost village of
Fairfield tells its story of
the Delaware Christian
Natives who came in 1792 from
the Ohio valley with their
Moravian missionaries. The
Fairfield Excavations is also
a snapshot of a rural
community of the 1940s
| unearthing its rich history,
rediscovering it again in a
new century, and then winning
national recognition and
building a museum.
|