Stratford Archaeology

Stratford is currently developing a long-term research program that, in addition to architectural and historical studies, includes the archaeological examination of the Plantation's historical landscape. Surprisingly little documentation exists about additional buildings, formal and informal gardens, or how the yards that once surrounded the Great House were utilized by members of the Lee family and the Plantation's large African-American community. Therefore, the primary goals of the investigation are to determine the structure and evolution of the Plantation's past landscape and to understand how people used this space.

For archaeologists, landscape means more than formal gardens and grounds. It includes small and large outbuildings, work yards, kitchen gardens, trash pits, fences, walls, and ditches. These types of landscape features resulted from both academic plans for majestic estates and informal arrangements based on traditional ways of organizing rural life and work.

The current archaeological study at Stratford is sponsored by the Robert E. Lee Memorial Association in cooperation with the Department of Historic Preservation at the University of Mary Washington. The 2007 field school runs from May 21 through June 22. Once again, visitors to the Stratford web site are able to follow the findings of the dig online.