Posted on 11/01/2002 6:49:48 AM PST by stainlessbanner
Hard times are bringing changes to Stratford Hall Plantation.
Stratford let go 14 of its 86 employees in April. Now managers plan to close the historic mansion for much of December and January, sell a herd of Angus cattle and reduce farm operations.
To increase revenues, Stratford plans an aggressive campaign to market the historic property in Westmoreland County as a site for conferences and weddings, Executive Director Thomas C. Taylor said.
"We have to change with the times like everybody else," Taylor said. "We're tightening our belt across the board."
Taylor said the cuts are due to the declining values of Stratford's endowment portfolios and not the elimination of state stipends to the private institution.
"The losses in the stock market are of a magnitude that have not been experienced since the Great Depression, and all museums and historic sites that are dependent on an endowment are experiencing the same difficulties," he said.
"But we will always keep our focus on preserving Stratford and keeping it open to the public. We're going to come through this a more efficient and more entrepreneurial organization."
The changes were approved at a meeting last week of the board of directors of the Robert E. Lee Memorial Association Inc., which owns the landmark house and 1,700 acres on the Potomac.
Stratford was the 18th-century home of the Lee family, which included two signers of the Declaration of Independence. It was also the birthplace of the Confederate general.
Taylor said the house and grounds will be closed to the public for most of December and January. It will, however, be open for its annual Christmas candlelight tour the evenings of Dec. 14 and 15 and for Robert E. Lee's birthday Jan. 19. The house also will be open from Dec. 26 to Dec. 30, Taylor said.
Stratford's Plantation Store will remain open from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m. daily during December and January, Taylor said. The dining room will also remain open for lunch during those months, as well as special occasions such as the candlelight tour.
But Taylor said Stratford is getting out of the farming business.
The plantation's herd of 75 Angus cattle will be sold during the next year as beef prices improve. Stratford also "is looking at all options" for its 400 acres of cropland. One possibility is renting the land, Taylor said.
"It's just not economical to be a small farmer," he said.
The plantation will continue to maintain about 10 historic Devon cattle and will raise small amounts of corn and wheat to supply the grist mill on the property. The mill is under renovation and scheduled to reopen in the spring, Taylor said.
Stratford's guest houses, meeting rooms, dining room and other facilities will be marketed to corporations and other organizations looking for sites for conferences and retreats.
"We have a tremendous location and one of the most beautiful, historic sites in the country," Taylor said.
Weddings have long been held on the massive steps of Stratford, Taylor said, but now the directors have approved putting up tents for wedding receptions in the mansion's formal gardens. Previously, receptions had to be held in a meeting house nearby.
Good post and important. Thanks.
FD
free dixie,sw
Lee bump. Jan. 19 is tomorrow (Sunday).
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