Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-09-29
.STRATF0RD HALL
DEDICATION OCT. z
Famous Home of the Lees
Being Restored as Ma
tionaI Shrine.

Stratford Hall, the birthplace Of
Robert E. Lee and Colonial home of
the Lees of Virginia, will be dedicated
as national shrine Saturday, October
IL, upon completion of the S1l50OO
purchase price of the old mansion and
its 1,l00-acre plantation, on the Po-
tomac in Westmoreland County, about
100 miles south of Washington.
The dedication will be in charge
of the Robert e. Lee Memorial Foun-
dalton, a national organization rep
resenting women of 80 States. Mrs.
Charles Lanier of Greenwich, Conn.
is president of the foundation, and
Mrs. Orion Bishop Brown of Berlin,
N. H., will be in charge of the dedi-
cation program.
Final Payment Made.
Three years ago the foundation took
possession of Stratford Hall. With a
contribution from the Daughters of
the Confederacy of $4,000, the Or
ganization made the final payment of
sl15.000 on the place. The directors
of the foundation have been assisted
in the past year by group of men
organized under the leadership of
George Gordon Battle of New York
City, sponsors for the dedication.
Westmoreland County was the home
Of the Washingtons, Lees, Monroes,
Madisons. Tayloec, Corbins and other
families having an important part in
the early history of America. The
plantation is presided over by Gen.
B. F. Cheatham, U. S. A. Getired),
as resident superintendent.
Fields are under cultivation and
cattle, hogs, chickens and horses are
being raised. In addition to wheat
and corn, cotton and tobacco crops
have been planted this year. At the
Stratford store the visitor can pur-
chase Stratford hams, preserves, jams
and jel,ies. The plantation is now
the model farm of the Northern Neck
community.
Old Mill Pond Cleared.
During the past Summer the site
of the old mill pond has been cleared,
and the wooded valley will again be
reflected in the broad waters of a
lake. The ancient mill built early in
the eighteenth century by Thomas
Lee, the builder of Stratford. has fallen
into decay, but the foundation hopes
to restore it.
Progress is being made in the res
toration of the house. The new roof.
the window trim of Spanish red and
the new stone exterior stairway mod
eled from the rail and balusters found
in the excavation work on the
grounds. make a striking contrast as
the visitor approaches the house from
the old road, now again in use.
The record of visitors testifies to
the widespread interest that STRAIT
ford holds. The past season has
brought many more visitors than any
previous year. BY their admission fees
the public participates in the main
tenance Of this Colonial plantation
On the dedication day the place will
be open free to the public.
Leaders in Foundation.
The personnel of the memorial
foundation includes Mrs. Robert
Worth Bingham, wife of the Ambas-
sador to the Court of st. James: Mrs.
Breckenridge Long. wife of the Am
bassador to Italy. and Vicountess
Aston of England.
Virginia directors are Mrs Fair
fax Harrison. Mrs. Charles z. Boil.
ling. Mrs. Granville G. Valentine and
Mrs. Ambrose c. Ford. WASHINGTON
directors are Mrs. Cazenove Lee. Mrs.
Harry B. Halves, Mrs. Ralph Worth
ington and Mrs. Horace Van Deventer.
Maryland directors: Mrs. Edward
Guest Gibson. Mrs. Cabell Bruce and
Miss Elise Packard. Delaware direc-
tor: Mrs. Alfred I. du Pont. New
York directors: Mrs. H. Snowden
Marshall. Mrs Charles Dana Gibson.
Miss Helen Knox and Mrs. Harry
Sheldon Roselle.
Rhode Island director: Mrs. John
Nicholas Brown, jr. Connecticut di-
rectCrs: Mrs l. Newton Lewis, Mrs.
William H. Fain. Mrs. Wilson Nor
fleet Fielder, Miss Annie Burr Jen-
nings. Mrs. John Jay Naugle, Mrs.
Emerson Root Newell.