WATERFORD, VIRGINIA, July 30, 2012--The Waterford Foundation announced today that its 1761-1812 visitors log from the Fairfax Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends will be among the rare treasures in the running for "Virginia's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts" in August. Public voting begins August 1 and will run through August 29 at vatop10artifacts.org.

"We are honored that Waterford residents, David and Carolee Chamberlin, chose the Waterford Foundation to preserve this family treasure," says Foundation archivist Edith Crockett.  "David's ancestor, Sarah Gover, kept the visitors log until 1812.  It is certainly one of the most important documents in our collection, and we believe it belongs on Virginia's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts list."

Members of the Religious Society of Friends, better known as Quakers, constituted a considerable portion of the population of the thirteen colonies during the time weekly entries were made in this log book, and they had a significant influence on the religious, political, and cultural development of the new country. As a record of the travels and teachings of Quaker visitors from England and all along the eastern seaboard,Waterford's precious log book reveals a fascinating picture of the lives of late 18th and early 19th century members of and visitors to Waterford's Fairfax Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends.

More than 300 individuals visited the Fairfax Friends meeting between 1761 and 1812. The log contains unique glimpses into the travels of these intrepid Quaker ministers--both women and men--and of a number of notable individuals in early American history. It describes the routes and conditions under which they traveled and  how the "sermons" they gave in Waterford were received by their peers, as Quakers grappled with such realities as farming techniques, education, changing morals, politics, and the American Revolution for which their religion would not permit them to take up arms or revolt against England, nor could they be persuaded to do so.

Among the notable visitors in Waterford's Quaker visitors log are:

• William Hunt from North Carolina "who was said to have preached in nearly every Friends' meeting in America." (June 28, 1761)
• Comfort Hoag, from Hampton, New Hampshire, (1711-1806) who became a traveling minister before 1750, spending some 10 days in 1767 as the guest of Mahlon Janney, son of the founder of Waterford.
• Martha Mendenhall, a Quaker minister for 62 years, attended the Friends' Meeting on both the monthly and first day Meeting in August 1766, and "Said a Great Deal in both."
• Ann Moore (1710-1783), another traveling woman Quaker minister and a resident of Waterford in her early years, began her journeys at age 46, and, returned to visit on numerous occasions.
• Humphrey Marshall, a noted botanist and author of the first botanical treatise on American plants by an American: Arbustrum Americanum (1785).
• James Bartram, son of John Bartram, the first nurseryman in the colonies (1762).  

Waterford Foundation archivists have already transcribed the log book's contents and hope that making this year's "Top 10 Endangered Artifacts List" will enable the Foundation to make it more widely available to researchers and history buffs and to stabilize and preserve this important treasure.  

The Virginia Association of Museums' Top 10 Endangered Artifacts showcases the importance of Virginia's diverse history, heritage, and culture and the role that artifacts and archival materials play in telling those stories. The program is designed to create awareness of the importance of preserving artifacts in care at museums, libraries, and archives throughout the commonwealth and in the District of Columbia.

The public is encouraged to become involved by visiting  vatop10artifacts.org and casting their vote (as often as they wish) for the object that they believe should make the final list of Top 10 Endangered Artifacts. Final nominations will be reviewed by an independent panel of collections and conservation experts, and the honorees will be announced in September 2012.   

The Waterford Foundation, Inc., founded in 1943, is dedicated to preserving the historic buildings and open spaces of the National Historic Landmark District of Waterford, Virginia. The Waterford Foundation strives to increase public knowledge of life and work in an early American rural community through education. The Waterford Foundation is supported through grants, donor contributions, and proceeds from the annual Waterford Homes Tour and Crafts Exhibit.  

For further information, contact the Waterford Foundation at 540-882-3018.