Evening star., 1938-03-22

huge wings, 80 feet wide by 60 deep.
In each Of these wings are grouped
four huge chimney stacks, connected
by brick arches at the top, forming
high towers. The house is a story
and half above high basement, with
walls 212 feet thick. Sleeping rooms
and housekeeping rooms are on the
ground floor with the great hall and
the living rooms on the upper floor,
with the exception of the mothers room
and the nursery adjoining it, on the
southeast corner. In this room all the
Lee children were born.
At the four corners of the house
about 80 feet removed from it are
four smaller brick buildings which
were probably the kitchen, dairy, Office
and counting house. There are also
huge barns and stables, slave quar-
ters, smokehouses, weaving sheds and
many other buildings.
THOMAS LEE may have seen Tudor
houses in England that gave him
inspiration for the plan of his house.
The only other H-shaped building,
the Capitol at Williamsburg, he knew
very well. The great hall is similar
to the great hall at Green Spring,
Hannah Lees childhood home. It
seems as though they must have
worked into their home details of the
places they knew and loved the best,
combined in a structure designed to
meet the needs of a lifetime removed
from centers of civilization, with po-
tential danger always just beyond
the clearing. In 1929 they moved to
Stratford. A gang of thieves broke
into the house at Matholic, taking
everything of value and then set fire
to the house. The family barely
escaped by jumping from the windows.
The house was completely destroyed
and ever afterwards this place was
called Burnt House Fields. Stratford
Hall was not finished. and as Mrs. Lee
was expecting her fifth child it must
have been narrowing experience.
The house was later completed by
funds ordered to be sent to Thomas
Lee by Queen Caroline when she heard
OF his great loss.
From then on the estate prospered
during the life of Thomas Lee. There
was landing down on the river from
which he shipped his tobacco and
that of his neighbors. All the life of
the colony passed his door, and all the
news of the world came to his landing
when the ships docked there from New
England, old England and the Bar
BADGES.
AS generation after generation of
Lees occupied the lovely house. many
OF them were not as skilled or as in
terested in the management of the
estate as Thomas Lee The great
house and land demanded a store of
money and effort for even a good re-
turn, and when that money or effort
was not forthcoming, or when vigilance
was relaxed for even a few years, it
was almost impossible to build back
what had been destroyed. Gen. Harry
Lee fought desperately to keep the
estate, but was finally forced to leave.
In 1910 with his small family, includ-
ing little boy not quite years, Rob-
ert E. Lee, they left Stratford Hall
forever.
To know the history of the family
this old house has sheltered, to under
stand the joy it gave to many genera
tions and how they yearned always to
return to it makes us realize the
tragedy of watching it fall into ruin
and its loss after the struggle. STRAIT
ford Hall is now proud again, as it
was in its younger days, but with the
more mature pride that comes with
age, and a great dignity acquired by
experiencing the tragedies and joys Of
humanity.
In 1929 the Stratford estate was
bought by the Robert E. Lee Memoir
ial Foundation and is now in the pro-
cess of being restored in memory OF
one of the greatest American families
and one Of its most brilliant generals.
It is open to the public for small fee.
1t Is especially beautiful during garden
week, April $3.50 when the gardens
are so lovely. Nowhere in this country
is there hoIlse that lie co j,,,oraseiuo