Four hundred years after Jamestown, the British are still investing in America - and its history. Case in point: Aggregate Industries in Caroline County and the restoration of Hayfield Manor.

When Aggregate Industries bought the land just off U.S. 17 south in 1997, the 1760 manor house had fallen into disrepair. The company wanted the 497-acre property for a sand and gravel mining operation.

When the manor house was put on the list of Most Endangered Sites by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, company Vice President Don Delano was moved to try to save it.  John Ellis and Don Delano managed the restoration of the manor with the help of local craftspeople and college historians over a period of just one year.  Roy Fenn, the company Historian and Archivist, was consultant historian for the renovation project and with the support of John Ellis has written a book summarising the history of Hayfield, entitled 'This Very Desirable Estate'.

Two years and $500,000 later, Hayfield Manor has been restored. Rodents and insects have been evicted. Damage from vandalism has been repaired. The floors have been refinished, the walls painted, and modern heating and cooling systems added. After a grand re-opening in March 2007, Hayfield once again gives testimony to the area's colonial roots, when transportation by water on the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers determined where estates would be sited, and the Union Flag flew freely.

The Manor will be open to students of history and used for corporate functions.