About Stratford Hall

Our Mission

We give voice to Stratford Hall’s people, places, and past to engage, educate, and inspire.

Our Vision

We envision a nation of informed and engaged citizens inspired by Stratford Hall’s presentation of our layered past.

Our Values

Authenticity – We commit to honest and accurate preservation, interpretation and presentation of our buildings, land, and stories.
Integrity – We will demonstrate the integrity and courage to seek and share our full history.
Relevance – We aspire to bring history alive and remain relevant nationally and internationally in a constantly changing world.
Community Impact – We will contribute positively to our local community.
Belonging – We seek to create a spirit of mutual understanding through open dialogue, hospitality, and inclusion of all our stories.

History of Stratford Hall

Established by Thomas Lee in the 1730s, Stratford Hall is one of the great houses of American history. An important part of the Stratford Hall experience is an opportunity to learn about the courage and leadership of Richard Henry and Francis Lightfoot Lee as they signed the Declaration of Independence, and with their family, helped give birth to the United States of America. Visitors can also learn about other Lee family members, like Hannah Lee Corbin, an outspoken thinker and one of our nation’s earliest known proponents of voting rights for women. And they can learn about the birth and early years of Robert E. Lee, who rose to become superintendent of the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, a leader of the armies of the Confederacy, and president of Washington College. There are few places in America where people can travel down small, rural roads to arrive at a vast site that preserves so many aspects of early-American life, from the fields that were worked by enslaved Africans to the waters of the rivers that fueled trade, to the ground, which still yields secrets about the people and animals that lived before.

Stratford Hall brings together people from around the world to experience two-thousand acres of natural and human history, preserved and presented so that we can all learn from the courageous struggles of our ancestors, taking inspiration both from what they endured and what they accomplished.

Come experience this extraordinary place that played a role in the birth of a nation. Where people can learn about a layered history that began millions of years ago. A history that continues to educate, inspire and influence Americans to the present day.

Stratford Hall Senior Staff

Karen L. Daly
President
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Alex Carter
Director of Business Operations
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Kelly Childress
Director of Education
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Dr. Kelley Fanto Deetz, Ph.D.
Vice President of Collections & Public Engagement
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Laura Fortsch
Vice President of Development
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Phil Mark
Director of Preservation & Maintenance
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Matt Peterschmidt
Director of Landscapes & Security
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Alicia Salyer, CPA
Director, Finance & Human Resources
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Dr. Gordon Blaine Steffey, Ph.D.
Director of Research & The Jessie Ball duPont Memorial Library
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Anne Wilson
Director of Marketing & Communications
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