Stratford Hall and The Crabby Oyster . . .
Today was another beautiful day here, sunny, and in the low 60’s, so about noon we all headed out to visit Stratford Hall, about 10 miles south of us.
Stratford Hall is the ancestral home of the Lee family of Virginia, and the birthplace of Robert E. Lee.
Just as we turned off the highway onto the road leading to Stratford and saw what I wondered might be someone’s idea of a cruel joke.
Right across the street from Stratford’s entrance is this church.
Yes, Grant Methodist Church is right down the road from Robert E. Lee’s home.
Stratford Hall was built between 1730 and 1738 by Thomas Lee, Robert E. Lee’s great-great uncle and passed down through generations of the Lees, and remained in the family until it was sold in the 1820’s.
Robert E. Lee was born here on January 19th, 1807, but his family moved to Alexandria, VA in 1811 and Lee never lived here again.
Robert E. Lee died October 12, 1870 in Lexington, VA. And his family home at Arlington, VA became Arlington National Cemetery.
Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside any of the buildings so we only have outside shots.
These first two small brick houses were some of the slave quarters. The workers on the plantations consisted of two groups: slaves and local employees. And the slaves were made up of African-Americans, convicts, and indentured servants.
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The rolling countryside reveals stunning views everywhere you turn.
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This is the location of nearby Lee’s Landing where Thomas Lee built his wharf so his ships could dock to take on tobacco and other goods for shipment.
A grist mill was also located here to grind corn and wheat for both shipment and local use.
As we drove around the grounds we noticed a large number of what looked like bat houses. It turns out that they’re bluebird nesting boxes. The cones are to keep the squirrels out.
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Finally leaving Stratford Hall we drove up to King George about 15 miles away to have dinner and make a Wal-Mart stop.
For dinner we checked out the Crabby Oyster, a much-recommended place. The food was good, but it seemed to be kind of ‘pricey’ for what we got. I thought Dockside in Colonial Beach was better.
After dinner and Wal-Mart we headed home after another long, but fun day.
Tomorrow looks to be a nice, restful, goof-off day.
Yay!
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Thought for the Day:
"ADULT: A person who has stopped growing at both ends and is now growing in the middle."
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