Stratford Hall

Days and Hours: Sun-Sat, 9:30-4:00, closed Mondays in January and February

Description:

Stratford Hall is the home of the Lees of Virginia and birthplace of Robert E. Lee. It is one of the great houses of American history. Its magnificent setting on a high bluff above the Potomac River and its bold architectural style set it apart from any other colonial house, but its highest distinction is the family of patriots who lived there. The site is still managed as a farm today on almost 2,000 of its original acres. Come and enjoy an unhurried visit to the country!

Students: $7.00 each

Teachers: 1 free for every 10 students
Chaperones and extra teachers: $9.00 each Bus Driver: admitted free

Stratford Hall requires a $75.00 deposit 4-6 weeks before your intended visit. We can accept cash or check. The remaining balance will be due upon arrival at the Stratford Hall Visitor Center. At this time we can accept cash, checks, VISA, or MasterCard.

Stratford Hall has two separate school programs for Elementary and Secondary School students.

Elementary programs, called Educational Adventure, are for grades 3-6 and are written using Virginia SOLs. The Educational Adventure explores various aspects of 18th-century plantation life in Tidewater Virginia. Students will study the training, education, games, and leisure activities of boys and girls. They will examine foodways, including the growing, gathering, preservation, and preparation of foods. They will discuss textile production and various commercial activities, observe how grain was milled at Stratford Hall, and watch a Blacksmith at work. Students will also tour the Great House, which was built in 1738. Several of these activities will allow the students to have hands-on experiences. Please allow four hours for this program.

Secondary school programs are written mostly for grades 7-10. The Stratford Secondary School Program offers teachers five 45-minute activities. In "The Play's The Thing!", the students will act out proverbs and excerpts of famous plays dressed in colonial costumes. "From the Ground Up" studies the "whys" and "how tos" of a number of common colonial building practices. "Medicine in Colonial Virginia" looks at the medical practices and midwifery in the eighteenth century. "Learning and Laughter" explores the various entertainments enjoyed in the eighteenth century. A tour of the Great House is included as the fifth activity. These activities allow students to have a hands-on experience and will last approximately four hours.

For more information or details about the hands-on components of these activities, please e-mail the Assistant Director of Education at llawfer@stratfordhall.org.

Grade Levels:
Pre-K
K-5
6-8
9-12

Exhibits: The Lee Gallery: Learn about the history of the Lee family in this gallery. From the first generation of Lees to build Stratford Hall to the last generation of Lees to live here, this history is exhibited here. The Preservation Gallery: Learn about the 1930s restoration process of the Great House in this gallery. See various exhibits describing the process of restoration and view original pieces of the house's architecture. The Clifts Plantation: In the 1600s, before the Lees built their home at Stratford Hall, the Pope family lived on this land at the Clifts Plantation. See a small-scale model of the Clifts Plantation home and learn about the archaeology conducted to find out this history of this family. These are just a few of the exciting exhibits visitors can see when they come to Stratford.

Additional Information:

Please plan to book your school programs early! Call 804-493-8038, ext. 1920, or e-mail llawfer@stratfordhall.org