The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is breaking ground next week on a new archaeology center that will eventually be open to the public seven days a week.
Located across the street from the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, the Colin G. and Nancy N. Campbell Archaeology Center will allow visitors an “interactive window” into ongoing archaeological projects and an extensive collection of artifacts, the foundation says.
Cliff Fleet, president and CEO of the foundation, said in a news release archaeology has played a key role in their research for the past century.
"By making our globally renowned collection more accessible to the public, (the new center) will give visitors the opportunity to play a leading role in their own exploration of history,” he said.
The center will display some of the organization’s 60 million current artifacts. Officials are including classrooms, an exhibition space and a teaching lab for visitors to engage with the items.
Colonial Williamsburg focuses on historical archaeology, looking at physical materials “to understand the development of the modern world,” leaders said.
Jack Gary, archaeology director, said in the statement that about 60% of the group's work happens beyond initial excavation sites, back at the lab.
"Right now, our visitors engage with us in the field, but there’s no way for them to follow these projects to completion because we don’t have a facility that can accommodate them," Gary said. "This new archaeology center will change all of that.”
The foundation estimates the center will be done in 2025.
It's one of several projects the foundation plans to open in upcoming years for what officials envision as a "major visitor corridor."
Others include the Williamsburg Bray School, slated to open next fall, and the First Baptist Church set for 2026.
