United States of America -- Virginia -- Westmoreland County -- Stratford
Scope and Contents:
Folders include worksheets, brochures, and copies of articles.
General:
Built ca. 1730, Stratford Hall was home to the Lee family until the early 1800s. Relatives subsequently bought and lived in the property until the turn-of-the-century when the Robert E. Lee memorial Foundation took over the property to restore and open as a museum. In the early 1930s, The Garden Club of Virginia restored the formal East Garden in an eighteenth-century English style. They restored a flat area to a terraced garden enclosed by brick walls. Parterres are outlined with English Box. The West Garden, planned by Innocenti and Webel, is a utilitarian part of the garden planted with vegetables, herbs, fruit trees, and ornamental flowers. The North Vista and Nature Trail are additional parts of the estate.
Persons associated with the property include: Thomas Lee (former owner, ca. 1729-1750); Robert E. Lee (birthplace, 1807); Philip Ludwell Lee (former owner, 1750); Matilda Lee (former owner); Henry Lee (former owner, 1798-1828); Mrs. Starke (former owner); Dr. Richard Stewart (former owner); Robert E. Lee Memorial Foundation (owners, 1929); Morley Jeffers Williams (presenter of restoration plans, 1932); Fiske Kimball (restoration architect, 1939-1940); Umberto Innocenti of Innocenti & Webel (landscape architect, 1941-1955); Garden Club of Virginia (east garden restoration, 1930); Alden Hopkins (landscape architect, 1955-1960); A. G. Smith (landscape architect, 1960-1981); and Ronald L. Wade (superintendent of gardens and grounds, 1981).
Related Materials:
Stratford Hall Plantation related holdings consist of 1 folder (9 glass lantern slides and 23 35 mm. slides)
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Sponsor:
A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.