Charles Herron Fairbanks was born in Bainbridge, NY in 1913. He started his education at the Swarthmore College. Later on in 1937, he attended the University of Chicago, where he began his studies in Anthropology. That was the same year he published his first archaeological paper, “The Occurrence of Coiled Pottery in New York State,” American Antiquity.
While he was at Chicago, one of his professors, Fay Cooper-Cole, sent him to Tennessee, to work on the Tennessee Valley Authority archaeological projects form 1937-1938. During that time, Fairbanks began his life long career in southeastern archaeology. Charles Fairbanks graduated in 1939, after that he left to work as an archaeologist at the Okmulgee National Monument in Macon, Georgia. He worked there until 1943. “During his five years at Macon, Charles Fairbanks played an important role in the development of the rigorous and painstaking field methodology that was an important contribution of the depression era Works Progress Administration archaeological programs.” (Memorials, 1985, pp. 122)
Between 1943 and 1945, Fairbanks spent his time in the U.S. Army. In 1946, he went back to his archaeological career as a Superintendent at Fort Frederica National Monument, Georgia. In 1948, Charles Fairbanks left Frederica and went to the University of Michigan, so he could resume his graduate studies.
After Charles Fairbanks received his Ph. D. in 1956, he began his new career as a professor at Florida State University. In 1963, Charles left FSU and went for the position as chairman of the Anthropology department at the University of Florida. In 1976, Charles was announced Distinguished Service Professor of the State University system of Florida. In 1983, Charles Fairbanks retired. Charles wrote his last article in 1984, “The Plantation Archaeology of the Southeastern Coast,” Historical Archaeology. Charles Herron Fairbanks died in 1984. “Charles Fairbanks was a thorough and uncompromising scholar, as well as an uncompromising man of principle. He was inherently fair, giving equal consideration to colleagues and students, to hired workers and interested amateurs, and to men and women.” (Memorials, 1984 pp. 124)
References:
Deagan, Kathlean, “CHF Memorial Historical Archaeology.”
Historical Archaeology, pp. 122-124, 1985.
http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/kloetzer/armadillo/chfbiblio.htm, 1985
The Society for Historical Archaeology, “Fairbanks Bibliography” (1985).
Written by: Danielle Bigelow