Southwest Furnishing Research

The Southwest outbuilding is currently closed to the public during this restoration and reinterpretation phase. Right now I am researching the history of the use of this building - we aren't quite sure what the Lees and other residents of Stratford used the building for in the 18th and 19th centuries. An 1801 insurance document indicates it may have been a work shop. Prior to its closing to the public we interpreted it as a clerk's quarter (or living area), office, and servants' hall complex (see image). What will it be next?

Before this space can be opened back up to the public, I will be developing a furnishing plan. This document will outline the overall look of the spaces, the specific objects displayed, as well as the historic documentation available to help inform this plan. Each room will tell a story - reflecting what we know about the Lee family, their hired and enslaved servants, and other residents or visitors to Stratford.