Stratford Hall. In the end I identified and chose to sleep very carefully and lightly on the top of a fold-up table in this room. Eastern oyster shells contain oxygen isotopes that have the potential to be valuable paleoclimate proxies of seasonal changes in the Chesapeake Bay. Prior to that, she was doing some work with the movie Birth of a Nation. [For further information, see Jeanne Calhouns research report, The African-American Experience at Stratford: 1782 at http://www.stratfordhall.org/learn/african_american.php ] Philips estate slave list included names, ages, value, and sometimes occupations of the 137 slaves living on Stratford and two outlying farms. One of them, Ulysses Sylvester Joe Payne, worked at Stratford for fifty-three years; his cousin, Laura Payne, worked there for fifty-seven. In 1717 Thomas Lee bought the Clifts, a tobacco plantation in Westmoreland County, from the descendants of colonist Nathanial Pope. Modern cabins, inns, conference space, Im getting ideas for the future, a conference maybe. ). Discovery of a tombstone bearing the name Elizabeth Lee in a Canadian cemetery and related family oral history have prompted her descendants to claim kinship with Henry Light Horse Harry Lee, father of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. This number included children and infants as well as adult slaves. His son, William Wesley Payne, was also a longtime resident. The building and its then adjacent vacant lot was acquired by Portland State in 1962/63 for a combined cost of $72,500 with the intention to remove it. It was the plantation house of four generations of the Lee family of Virginia (later with descendants expanding to Maryland and other states). Do your part to help bring full healing history forth. The slave story , together with history from the Big house help tell the full story, help shed light on the present. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. One can image negotiating those steps with a tray of food or a chamber pot and having a mishap. Lee's mother died on January 25, 1750; his father, then acting governor of Virginia, died that same year, on November 14. Henry Lee, in perpetual debt, mortaged his Cabin Point inheritance (to Bushrod Washington) in 1798even before he officially inherited it. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Stratford Hall is a historic house museum near Lerty in Westmoreland County, Virginia. If you've had a . He was noted for preparing hot chocolate for guests, as the hall had one of the first three chocolate grinding stones in Virginia. Although slaves were legally owned property, they still had many contradictory and confusing facets to their lives, she said. A Private residence to the Left of the Marker, 4. Stratford Hall is the boyhood home of two Founding Fathers of the United States and signers of the Declaration of Independence, Richard Henry Lee (1732-1794), and . Over time, the Lees sold or hired out slaves to cover their expenses and debts. 1,000% improvement. Stratford Hall provides a fascinating portrait of a slaveholding Colonial plantation. Henry Lee IV, Lees half-brother, was the last of the Lees to be master of Stratford. Stratford Hall is also the birthplace of Robert E. Lee (18071870), who served as General-in-Chief of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War (18611865). Although Robert E. Lee lived only a few years at Stratford, he remembered his childhood home fondly, writing to his wife in 1861, In the absence of a home, I wish I could purchase Stratford. That is the only other place that I could go to that would inspire me with feelings of pleasure and local love.. Stratford Hall is a historic house museum near Lerty in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Colonel Thomas Lee (16901750) was a Virginian who served as acting Governor of the colony and was a strong advocate for westward expansion. Court records show that many of Henrys slaves were taken as collateral by persons to whom he owed money, and much of Henrys time during 1809-1810 was spent in debtors prisons in both Westmoreland and Spotsylvania Counties. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. The Slave Dwelling Project was not the only component of this celebration. CALIFORNIANothern. Stratford Hall is the birthplace of Robert E. Lee. Frank Cass, London. Now the Slave Dwelling Project is there to pay homage to enslaved people. 714-803-7343 . or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Later on, he voluntarily freed almost 500 slaves from Nomini Hall beginning in 1791 and settled many on his lands, which he gave them. These two other visitors had travelled several hours to stay overnight and experience things. Search above to list available cemeteries. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. 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. Ownership may have meant the purchase of a spouse, an individual's children, or other relatives who were not emancipated. Marker is in this post office area: Stratford VA 22558, United States of America. More about this marker. It was the 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), ___________________________________________________________________________. Year should not be greater than current year. The two other overnight guests slept on the concrete floor in sleeping bags they brought. I felt even more amazement and indebtedness to them. Most of the time visitors are traveling to these places to learn about the great people who lived there when they should really be hearing about the formidable ancestors whose hands created these places. This historical marker is in Stratford in Westmoreland County Virginia. You can cancel at any time. Entrance to Stratford Hall and Shiloh Baptist Church. I attempted to think of what challenging times might have gone on hundreds of years before in the laundry setting. . Oops, we were unable to send the email. * She gave a presentation on her book Bound to the Fire: How Virginias Enslaved Cooks Helped Invent American Cuisine. He and his wife, Hannah, had six sons and two daughters. Joe, who has likely slept on much worse in the past, this time was blessed with a cot prepared in advance for him. A Spotsylvania County man who fired a shot into a vehicle that had mistakenly pulled into his driveway last year was convicted of a felony off. That is not a statement of any sense of superiority on my part, but a somber confession. Henry Lee, Jr.s slave population dwindled to only 4 slaves over age 12 by 1815. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Facebook; Twitter; Instagram; Henry Lee, a former Revolutionary War hero, moved to Stratford in 1782 after marrying his cousin Matilda, eldest daughter of Philip Ludwell Lee. Colonel Phil made many changes to the Great House. Last edited on 17 February 2023, at 17:04, U.S. National Register of Historic Places, List of National Historic Landmarks in Virginia, National Register of Historic Places listings in Westmoreland County, Virginia, "Oppression in the kitchen, delight in the dining room: The story of Caesar, an enslaved chef and chocolatier in Colonial Virginia", "The Lees of Virginia: Seven Generations of an American Family", Stratford, State Route 214, Stratford Hall, Westmoreland County, VA, National Historic Landmark: Stratford Hall, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stratford_Hall_(plantation)&oldid=1139943250, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 17:04. 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. Learn more about merges. He lived at Stratford until his death in 1927. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Lee Family Digital Archive. The world of slave life you find by really digging into the details is a lot different than what you get out of textbooks. Marker can be reached from Great House Road, 0.7 miles north of Stratford Hall Road. The field laborers slept in crowded quarters and worked sun-up to sun-down. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Please subscribe to keep reading. www.freep.com/article/20111223/NEWS05/112230427/Does-uncovered-tombstone-tie-black-family-to-Gen-Robert-E-Lee-?odyssey=tab|mostpopular|text|FRONTPAGE, http://www.stratfordhall.org/learn/african_american.php, Abigail Newkirk, Director of Interpretation. 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. An extensive slave list was made in 1782 when Philip Ludwell Lees estate was divided between his widow Elizabeth and two daughters, Matilda and Flora (who married her cousin Ludwell Lee, son of Richard Henry Lee). 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. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. It was their stolen labor that enabled that big house to be built. It was there that Philip R. Fendall built the Lee-Fendall House. A hurricane sweeps up the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River, destroying Stratford Landing and several tobacco inspection warehouses operated by the Lee family. 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