Stratford Hall is proud to announce that Caroline E. Janney, will deliver the 2025 Lee Lecture on Sunday, January 19, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. in the Jessie Ball duPont Memorial Library.
Dr. Janney, the John L. Nau III Professor of the American Civil War and Director of the John L. Nau Center for Civil War History at the University of Virginia, will present Unintended and Unexpected: Lee’s Army after Appomattox. A celebrated author and public lecturer, Dr. Janney’s work includes eight published books, such as Ends of War: The Fight of Lee’s Army after Appomattox, which earned the 2022 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize. She is a speaker with the Organization of American Historians’ Distinguished Lectureship program and has appeared on numerous television programs including the History Channel’s Grant (2020) and Lincoln (2022).
Stratford Hall Director of Research, Dr. Gordon Blaine Steffey, said, "An incredible scholar, Dr. Caroline Janney is also an incredible storyteller! She opens a pathway for listeners into the uncertain moments of diverse folks navigating a war-torn landscape where the outcome of hostilities is yet unclear and the future unsure. Unintended and Unexpected is not to be missed!"
Lee Lecture Details:
- Date: Sunday, January 19, 2025
- Time: 2:00 p.m.
- Location: Jessie Ball duPont Memorial Library, Stratford Hall
- Admission Options:
- In-Person: $10 (live presentation on-site)
- Virtual: $5 (via Zoom, link provided before the event)
This hybrid event offers both in-person and remote attendance options, allowing guests to engage with Dr. Janney’s insights from anywhere.
Commemorating the Lives: The Lee Men of Stratford Hall
The weekend of events begins with a special $5 admission day on January 18, 2025. Explore the Great House and grounds as Stratford Hall honors the Lee family men, several of whom have significant January dates:
Discover the legacies of:
- Francis Lightfoot Lee, praised by Mark Twain as “a citizen of the best and highest type.”
- Richard Henry Lee, a key proponent for American independence in 1776.
- Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee, Revolutionary War hero and future Virginia governor.
- Robert E. Lee, born at Stratford Hall, who would later shape military history.
Guests can enjoy the Band of Brothers audio tour, tracing the Lee men’s remarkable journeys, and visit the Stratford at the Crossroads exhibit to view rare artifacts, including:
- A 1730s christening gown worn by generations of Lees.
- A set of dessert knives gifted by French King Louis XVI to diplomat Arthur Lee.
- A book of sermons compiled by Hannah Lee Corbin.
Admission:
- $5 for ages 6+ (House and Grounds)
- Free for children 5 & under
- Tickets available at the gate; no preregistration required.
Plan Your Visit:
Immerse yourself in the legacy of the Lee family with a weekend of history, discovery, and insight. Join us for Commemorating the Lives: The Lee Men of Stratford Hall, featuring special admission pricing and the Lee Lecture. Extend your experience with a weekend getaway! Stay in one of Stratford Hall’s cozy guest houses and enjoy a special winter rate of just $89 per night. Arrive Saturday and stay through Sunday’s lecture for a truly enriching escape.
For more information and tickets, visit www.stratfordhall.org.
About Stratford Hall: Stratford Hall, a National Historic Landmark in Westmoreland County, Virginia, brings together people from around the world to experience two-thousand acres of natural and human history, preserved and presented so that they can all learn from the courageous struggles of their ancestors, taking inspiration both from what they endured and what they accomplished. 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 Great House where the influential Lee family helped to forge a new nation, to the fields 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.