Volunteers, business owners, foundations and folks simply interested in improving Suffolk have proven once again there’s nothing they can’t do if they put their mind to it.

With nothing but a dream, Riddick’s Folly curator Edward L. King mentioned to volunteer Dempse Burgess that there was a mostly buried water cistern on the grounds of the North Main Street museum.

With nothing but a hand tool, Burgess carefully excavated the water cistern during the course of about five years. It turned out to be a much bigger job than he anticipated, but he persevered.

With nothing but a love for their community, the Birdsong Trust Fund and Suffolk Foundation funded different aspects of the project, including installing a drainage system, retaining walls, a sidewalk and a plaque that tells the history of the cistern.

With nothing but a heart for Suffolk and a couple of caps he had pulled off various other projects, business owner William Blair donated the caps to the project to top off the cistern with a historically appropriate and protective layer.

Now, the pooled resources of all these different people and foundations have created a wonderful new exhibit to add to the already substantial historical offerings at Riddick’s Folly.

Folly visitors from all over the world now will be able to view the ingenuity of Mills Riddick, who lost his first home on the site in the fire of 1837. Wanting fire protection, he constructed the cistern with his second home, the (at the time) ludicrously sized mansion dubbed a folly by the townspeople. The cistern collected rainwater and also supplied water to the laundry room, King said this week.

The cistern adds to the already extensive exhibit offerings that include the Civil War and an exhibit on two-time Virginia Gov. Mills Godwin, a Chuckatuck native, in addition to information about the Riddicks, among the most prominent Suffolk residents of their time.

If you have the time, check out the water cistern and the other exhibits soon at Riddick’s Folly, 510 N. Main St. You won’t be disappointed.