Stratford Hall Plantation Stratford, Virginia Robert E. Lee Memorial Association, Inc. Stratford Hall, ca. 1738, 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 other colonial houses. The Great Hall in the center of the house, with its inverted tray ceiling above fully paneled walls, is one of the most significant rooms to survive that era. Its highest distinction, however, is in the family who lived there, since it was the home of Thomas Lee’s eight children. His sons Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee were the only brothers to sign the Declaration of Independence. Robert E. Lee, the most famous member of the family, was destined to become the General in Chief of the Confederate Armies. After many years of private ownership, Stratford Hall was purchased by the Robert E. Lee Memorial Association in 1929 and restored by noted restoration architect Fiske Kimball. Today, the plantation, including the manor house and its numerous outbuildings, is still managed as a farm on 1,670 of its original acres and is a well-known tourist destimation. In 1997, JMA was retained to undertake a detailed condition assessment and archeological investigations of all the buildings in the historic area of the plantation, and to recommend and manage projects required to compensate for years of deferred maintenance. In the time since the original condition assessment was prepared, JMA has completed more than 20 maintenance and restoration projects and continues to serve as the plantation's historic architect. JMA Staff: John K. Mott, Alfonso A. Narvaez, R. Bradford Stallings, Donna J. Seifert, Joseph F. Balicki To Top