And in the wine cellar, ghosts of slaves are said to reside, hiding from a murder that once happened there. New president of Stratford Hall has unfinished business to take care of Obituaries Entertainment Lifestyles 40 Cloudy New president of Stratford Hall has unfinished business to take care. Matilda inherited Stratford Hall in this agreement and lived there with her husband Harry and her second cousin, but the couple's time together was cut short when Matilda died after eight years of marriage. (food available on-sitegrab and go) There was a problem getting your location. Stratford Hall is one of five Western Canada schools to complete International Baccalaureate experience with IB offered from Kindergarten through Grade 12 to all students. She is a pioneer, fearless. It was never wonderful, she said. [Caption:] The Stratford Hall Plantation Seminar on Slavery offers teachers and museum professionals the opportunity to: Study for two weeks with distinguished scholars of slavery. Lectures, music, storytelling, historic food sampling, special tours, and more will begin at 9:30am and last all day, This monument was erected by the Board of Directors of Stratford Hall in 1953. According to census records, by the time the Storkes moved to Stratford in 1830, the African American population at Stratford was 61. Four generations of the Lee family passed through its stately doors, including Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee, the only two brothers to sign the Declaration of Independence. The enslaved population at Stratford Hall were not defeated people, they were resilient and admirable. In 1738 the British slave trading ship, Liverpool Merchant, arrived on the Potomac after a voyage of 167 days and consigned 70 enslaved Africans, primarily from Senegambia, Gold Coast, and St. Helena Island, to Thomas Lee for sale to nearby plantation owners. Richard Henry Lee takes a leave of absence from the House and does not return until after the 1771 session. CALIFORNIASouthern. Canada V5N 4E2. Also sincere thanks goes to the many at Stratford Hall Plantation, including Dr. Kelley Deetz and Jon Bachman, and all the many actors, contributors and participants. We hope that you will find what you are looking for within our online catalogs or among our Research Resources, but if you are in need of additional assistance, please contact our research team at reference@VirginiaHistory.org or 804.342.9233. Sometimes opposites attract. Thomas Lee renames the Clifts plantation; he chooses the name Stratford, after his grandfather's estate in England. His son, William Wesley Payne, was also a longtime resident. Lee Family Digital Archive. A few years later Lee decided to build a dwelling near the Potomac River, where Stratford now stands. Im not even sure you could say it was good.. They worked the fields and served as domestics in the Great House, as postillions, maids, waiters, footmen, and cooks. 2020 Virginia Humanities, All Rights Reserved , Revolution and Early Republic (17631823). However, I can discuss my research plan. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. In a beautifully treed park overlooking Chesapeake Bay, Stratford Hall preserves the original main house and several outbuildings of a tobacco plantation in pre-Revolution Virginia. Henry Light Horse Harry Lee named one of his sons Philip Ludwell. He lived at Stratford until his death in 1927. Position: Horticultural Intern. The Payne familys history is entwined with that of the Lees and subsequent owners of Stratford, and new findings are shared between the Paynes and the research department here. His son, Henry Lee IV, becomes the master of the estate. Bucolic Nomini Hall was an original land grant awarded in 1729 to the famous Carter family, the largest land owners in the colony. Its possible that combing through Westmoreland County court records might produce some evidence for Keseys whereabouts after 1803, but that research project would require a lengthy time investment. Lee purchased the land for Stratford Hall in 1717, aware of its agricultural and commercial potential as a waterfront site. Richard Henry was later instrumental in guiding the fledgling nation, serving as President of Congress in 178485. They settle at Stratford Hall, the Lee family plantation in Westmoreland County. . You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. A long legal battle with Thomas Rowand over the ownership of Cabin Point resulted in Lees eventual loss of the property. Tour the Great House with one of our knowledgeable guides or tour at your own pace with a self-guided tour. Also see . At that point, those things became the slaves property, even though by law they werent allowed to own property. Lydia slept on a table. Assured in the knowledge that the enslaved slept close to where they worked, we all slept in the laundry room, despite upon first examining the room, a bat flew into my chest when I opened the door, but I had to man up if the sleepover was going to happen in that space. Henry Lee, Jr.s slave population dwindled to only 4 slaves over age 12 by 1815. The Lee family eventually had to sell Stratford because of financial problems, and that split up slave families. A wharf on the Potomac River was the destination for a large number of merchant ships, a grist mill ground wheat and corn there, and enslaved and indentured servants farmed tobacco and other crops on the thousands of acres of farmland. None of this would have been possible without enslaved workers. Touch for map. We hope that the descendants of Kizzie will continue their quest to discover unknown family names and relationships. Some of their names are recorded in family documents, which allows us to interpret their lives more vividly, while the names and details of others have been lost in history. Stay tuned. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Interact with other school teachers and museum professionals interested in teaching about slavery. Their labor allowed the Lees a lavish lifestyle. Yes, Kellys signature was all over the audio tour. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Slave Cemetery. Man died Wednesday. The plantation, she believes, deserves a more in-depth academic study. The application cycle for the 2023-2024 school year is complete. 303-792-3615 . It's the history of This is the reason for using multiple lines of descent among other known survivors of the slaveowners Y-DNA line.I look forward to reading more about this project. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Stratford Hall's current enrolment is 511 students from kindergarten to grade 12 and accepts up to 70 students per year. He was noted for preparing hot chocolate for guests, as the hall had one of the first three chocolate grinding stones in Virginia. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. One of them, Ulysses Sylvester Joe Payne, worked at Stratford for fifty-three years; his cousin, Laura Payne, worked there for fifty-seven. The Westmoreland County court records (Book #8, p. 213) show that the same girl slave was listed as Keseah in John Lees probate inventory. based on information from your browser. By TAMARA LYTLE By TAMARA LYTLE ADVERTISING Special to Stephens Media STRATFORD, Va. The stately Virginia plantation home Stratford Hall is silent on a Sunday morning. I consider it an honor and a privilege that I was able to spend the night in a space once occupied by such venerable individuals. True, complete history whatever it proves to be helps set us ALL free. Tags: Question 13 . They played important roles in shaping the early history of the nation. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. It displays the wealth and aspirations of a mid-eighteenth-century Virginian. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. 1836-1926) left the Federals and returned to Stratford and his family. Learn more about managing a memorial . * 9:00-10:30am: Opening talk, Joe McGill, African American History Museum, Montross, VA. 11:00 African drumming in front of mansion/welcome at Stratford Hall, 12-2: Lecture and tour: The Enslaved Community at Stratford Hall, Dr. Kelley Fanto Deetz, 4:30-6 Music/open mic/storytelling (Rita Wagstaff-Stratford hall)/Afrocentric arts and crafts, 6-630: Libations, drumming, prayers at the enslaved African American cemetery, 6:30 Dinner (African American foodways/SDP Chef), ___________________________________________________________________________. KatzHyman said what she did was present a little telescope on the details of life at Stratford. You can cancel at any time. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? The way she put it together, she said, was very interesting.. Those two things are diametrically opposed to each other. Back side of Stratford in 2012. Over time, the Lees sold or hired out slaves to cover their expenses and debts. The politician and planter Thomas Lee purchased the land for Stratford in 1717; although no records exist to indicate when the house was built, construction likely began in 1738 and was completed sometime in the 1740s. At that point in this journey of traveling the nation and sleeping in slave dwellings, I never thought that Robert E. Lee would be much of a factor. I posted this comment there, and thought I would add this here as well:I am in discussions with a family that has similar oral history about another well-know American historical figure. Stratford Hall acknowledges that we are situated on the traditional and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. In my mind, it was like fitting a square peg into a round hole, someone or entity had to conform to the other. It has the content that would not conform to someones desire to ignore the stolen labor necessary to make that built environment and the lavish lives of the enslavers possible. The stamp shows General Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson, with Stratford Hall in the center. A public wharf and tobacco inspection station are constructed at Stratford Landing. It appears in William Ware's The Georgian Period in 1908 3 and is featured in the genealogy-oriented Stratford Hall and the Lees Connected with its History of 1912 4 by Frederick Alexander. Stratford Hall is the birthplace of Robert E. Lee. Instead Stratford was re-purposed as on-campus . Ownership may have meant the purchase of a spouse, an individual's children, or other relatives who were not emancipated. Their presence that day, as well as many others from different backgrounds, showed me that Stratford Hall Plantations Juneteenth day a celebration of Africans life and emancipation from slavery is important for BOTH African Americans and for ALL! Enslaved Africans and African Americans lived and worked throughout the plantation grounds. When I heard that Joseph McGill was bringing the Slave Dwelling Project to Stratford Hall for their Juneteenth Celebration, I jumped at the opportunity to participate. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Failed to report flower. That one item made the tour more relevant for me. It was the plantation house of four generations of the Lee family of Virginia (later with descendants expanding to Maryland and other states). Born at Stratford when Elizabeth Storke owned it, he continued to live and work there after it passed to the Stuart family and then to RELMA. Below is a runaway slave advertisement I came across while looking through Charleston, SC newspapers conducting research for a past job. Thank you for your interest in Stratford Hall. Such situations made the lives of slaves precarious and uncertain, KatzHyman said. Now the Slave Dwelling Project is there to pay homage to enslaved people. The Slave Dwelling Project was not the only component of this celebration. What is Juneteenth?-quick introduction Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. 11:00 African drumming in front of mansion/welcome at Stratford Hall While slaves were often given a diminutive of the names frequently used by their owners family, i. e., Harry for Henry, a family name was sometimes used for slaves when it was not used for a member of the slaveowners household. Failed to remove flower. This browser does not support getting your location. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. I felt even more amazement and indebtedness to them. From our living history team was storyteller, Dontavius Williams, we both hooked up at Dulles Airport, rented a car and drove the 2 hours plus to Stratford Hall, stopping in Fredericksburg, Virginia to give our opinion about removing a slave auction block from its current location to a museum. Negro slave owners were listed in 29 Kentucky counties (see below). Dr. Kelley Fanto Deetz pulled off something that for some is unthinkable, a Juneteenth celebration at the birthplace of Robert E. Lee. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Richard Henry Lee (17321794) and Francis Lightfoot Lee (17341797) were delegates from Virginia to the Second Continental Congress, and signers of the Declaration of Independence. Virtual Tour of Stratford Hall In 1748, at age sixteen, Lee left Virginia for Yorkshire, England, to complete his formal education at Wakefield Academy. Stratford was designed by the architect Charles Walter Ertz (1887-1979) in 1926 as an apartment complex for Paul R. Spath for a cost of $85,000. Add to your scrapbook. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Her lecture on Saturday covered what she found, most of which came from ledgers, diaries, letters and newspaper accounts of runaway slaves. The politician and planter Thomas Lee purchased the land for Stratford in 1717; although no records exist to indicate when the house was built, construction likely began in 1738 and was completed sometime in the 1740s. I am often intrigued by and attracted to people who go against the grain to get things done. I could only be satisfied that they gave us a pass for the weekend to honor the enslaved Ancestors at the birthplace of Robert E. Lee. While oral history can be helpful in directing ancestor searches, it does not take the place of historic documentation. A member of the Spotsylvania County school board was arrested Thursday on two charges, including a felony offense. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. Its magnificent setting atop a high bluff above the Potomac River and varied landscape with more than three miles of scenic nature trails, all lined with wildflowers, provide countless viewing opportunities for the wildlife enthusiast. Go here for more information on hours of operation and admission. 69-year-old suffers stroke in his N.C. home; Realtor showing house leaves him there. References: This historical marker is in Stratford in Westmoreland County Virginia. I have been following his journey for several years and the stars finally aligned that allowed me to be in the same place and the same time as his program. Sold individually. Welcome to Stratford Hall Historic Preserve - Where the Voices of American History Still Speak. Audio tours of the Great House and its surrounding buildings, which include the workshop, kitchen, and reconstructed slave quarters, tell the stories of all those who lived at Stratford Hall, including the Lee men and women and enslaved and indentured laborers. That is not a statement of any sense of superiority on my part, but a somber confession. And there it was, a whip on display. It is because of their fortitude that these places stand today. Stratford Hall Plantation was the home of the Lee family, including two Declaration of Independence signers, and it was Robert E. Lee's birthplace. Thomas's education was inferior to his brothers. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. There was an error deleting this problem. Search Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn Our Commitment Health & Safety Helpful Links Parents Attendance Calendar Family Handbook My Backpack Stratford Hall is a historic house museum near Lerty in Westmoreland County, Virginia. While Ludwell may be an unusual name in Canada, it certainly is not unusual in Virginia and elsewhere. We invite you to learn more about Indians in Virginia in our Encyclopedia Virginia. Henry Lee III and Matilda Ludwell Lee marry. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. The buyer was Henry Storkewho in 1826 had married Elizabeth McCarty. Stratford Hall is a historic house museum near Lerty in Westmoreland County, Virginia. By law they werent allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial, Va delete photo! Purchased the land for Stratford Hall acknowledges that we are situated on the traditional unceded. 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