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HISTORY

The History of Airfield 4-H

Located on the banks of beautiful Airfield Lake in Sussex County, near Wakefield, Virginia, the secluded 218-acre natural setting is only a short drive from Richmond, Williamsburg, and Tidewater, Virginia, where you can "get away" without having to "go away".

In December 1977, Union Camp Corporation donated 211 acres of forest land in Sussex County to 4-H for use on the site of the Southeast 4-H Educational Center, informally known as Airfield 4-H Center. The center opened in 1981 as a year-round educational facility for youth and adults.

The center is located near Wakefield, Virginia, on Airfield Lake. The lake is 105 acres in size and the Center property has more than one mile of shoreland. When the roads were widened and surfaced at the 4-H Center, Union Camp Corporation donated an additional seven acres of land, bringing the present number of acres to 218.

The Property Consists of:

  • Dining/Administration Building

  • 5 Conference Buildings

  • 3 Executive Sleeping Lodges with 43 hotel-style rooms

  • 4 Conference Sleeping Lodges with 26 dorm rooms

  • Health Lodge

  • Amphitheater

  • Storage/Maintenance Building

  • 2 Classrooms

  • 2 4-H Resource Storage Buildings

  • 2 Outdoor Pavilions

  • Children's Playground

  • Swimming Pool - open Memorial Day - Labor Day

  • Athletic Field

  • Tennis Court

  • 4 Pickleball Courts

  • Outdoor Volleyball Court

  • Outdoor Basketball Court

  • Indoor Basketball/Multipurpose Gym

  • 9-Hole Disc Golf Course

  • Archery Range & 3D Archery Trail

  • 4 Horse Barns with 101 Stalls

  • 2 Horseshow Rings

  • 2 Campfire Circles

  • Over 3 Miles of Nature Trails

  • Fishing Pier

Dining/Lodging Facilities

The dining/lodging facilities include 43 executive lodge rooms, which are comparable to first-class hotel rooms, 12 conference lodge rooms, and 14 dorm-style rooms. During the 4-H Camping summer season, the 12 conference lodge rooms are converted to dorm-style rooms to accommodate 4-H'ers, bringing the 4-H camp capacity to 208 campers.

Airfield serves the youth of 4-H age in the Tidewater service area of 15 counties and cities and traditionally has nine weeks of summer camping. Financial support to employ and lodge college instructors has been made possible by grants received from regional foundations. Additionally in the summer, the Center also hosts special weeklong camps such as Muscular Dystrophy Camp and other agencies functions.

Who Visits 4-H?

Corporate, educational, organizational, and state agencies make up the majority of adult utilization of the 4-H Center. Additionally, family reunions, church retreats, parties, and weddings represent business revenue for the Center.  In recent years, the Center has become an active site for Elderhostel programs during the non-summer seasons.