Free Republic

Stratford Hall hit by stock slumpStratford Hall Plantation is counting on a $6 million fund-raising effort to help repair financial damage caused by stock-market declines.Stratford's endowment shrank from $29 million in 1999 to about $16 million this year. The resulting loss of investment income has caused reductions in staff and programs at the historic home of the Lee family in Westmoreland County.The new fund-raising campaign has already raised $3 million that will be used to meet Stratford's operating expenses in the next three years, said Elizabeth Dunn, director of development and public relations."I'm astonished how quickly we've mobilized the community...

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...