East Garden

Testing in the upper terrace of the east garden revealed evidence of landscaping in the period 1750-1775. Design elements discovered during this initial phase included plantings, contouring, a planting ditch, and stake holes. The north-south alignment of these features with the portion of the serpentine wall discovered in the 1930s suggests a formal landscape division made up of living plants rather than a wall or fence. This archaeological evidence suggests that Thomas and Philip Ludwell Lee used plants to create boundaries for the central walkway that led to their formal terraced garden. This theory is reinforced by the discovery of a cat burial (see picture) in the upper terrace of the East Garden. This cat received a "proper" and purposeful burial within what was then, during the mid-eighteenth century, a formal landscape element, namely the green barrier or hedge. By 1780-1820, an accumulation of refuse had replaced the landscape division. "Light Horse Harry" Lee, the third master of Stratford, used the land to the east and west of the central walkways for domestic trash. This was not uncommon during this period. Evidence of similar depositions of trash have been found at Monticello and Mount Vernon.