A project of a different kind

Stratford Hall is still cleaning up from the major weather/natural events of the last month. With the exception of a crooked painting and swinging chandeliers (and a few rattled nerves), Stratford Hall did not experience any real lasting impact from the earthquake on August 23rd, 2011. Hurricane Irene did leave a lasting mark.

In the days leading up to the hurricane, Stratford Hall employees made preparations. The shutters in the Great House were closed, plastic tarps places in sensitive areas, and sandbags piled in doorways.



After the storm had passed, it did not take long to discover the beating that the landscape took over the course of 24-hours. It is important to note that none of the historic buildings sustained significant damage, but the trees and some of our support buildings did not fare as well. Multiple trees fell on the bridge leading to the Great House and almost every road was blocked. A few of our cabins were hit by falling trees, with entire bedrooms flattened in a couple cases.



After seven days of cleaning, Stratford Hall was able to open to the public again on September 3, 2011. The Dining Room was reopened on September 16, 2011. The road to the Grist Mill and beach is still being worked on, but we hope to have it open for October.

A huge thank you is owed to our grounds and maintenance staff. They worked around the clock to get us up and running as soon as possible...and their job will continue in the coming months to finish tree removal, make repairs, and reopen the hiking trails.

Greetings from AASLH!

The 2011 AASLH (American Association for State and Local History) Annual Meeting is being held in Richmond, only an hour from Stratford Hall. This proximity made it possible for me (Abigail Newkirk, Director of Interpretation and Education) and Gretchen Goodell (Curator) to attend. This year the theme is Commemoration: The Promise of Remembrance and New Beginnings.

Attending conferences is an important part of museum work. They are a chance to attend sessions on a variety of topics, network with museum employees from across the country, and speak to companies that provide services to museums. If you have been following this blog, you know how may projects we have in the works. Hearing about the successes (and failures) at other sites is an integral part of the process.

So far, I have been able to attend sessions titled:

• Interpreting Divergent Voices and Challenging Narratives
• Using Social Media to Engage Audiences in Museums and History Organizations
• Inspiring the Next Generation: Adding Value and Outreach to Museum Education Programs
• Programming for Pivotal Moments in History
• Remember the Ladies: Commemorating Women's Sacrifices, Achievements, and Rights
• Beyond Numbers: What Does Success Look Like?

I am out of the office for a couple days, but that does not mean the work stops. Check out my temporary office. Technology makes working remotely much easier!

Cold Weather and Winter Projects

Winter is definitely upon on us here at Stratford Hall. Punxsutawney Phil may have predicted an early spring, but we will not be packing up our cold weather clothes anytime soon!

Stratford Hall maintains reduced hours in the months of January and February, so many of you might be wondering what we do in the winter. The truth is that we do not even notice a difference! There is always a lot of work to be done, so these months allow us to focus on projects that are difficult to complete during our busier seasons. One example is the current repair of the south door of the Great House.

The Interpretation and Education Department keeps busy in the winter even when there are far fewer visitors. Policies need to be updated, reports collated, visitation data analyzed, work spaces organized, and exhibits repaired. A new newsletter was produced for local schools about the educational programs and new outreach plans created to attract more group tours. It is not exciting work, but sets the groundwork for a successful and productive 2011.

The 2011 Calendar is full of familiar programs and some new ones. Jon Bachman, Education Events Coordinator, has been working all winter to develop these programs and reach out to new audiences. We are very excited that the Triennial Coaching Weekend will be this May. Other programs include Reflections on Black History, The Women in R.E. Lee's Life, Traditional Trades Fair, Wine & Harvest Festival, and the Star Party.


Stay tuned for more updates about all the work that has happened the last few months.

The curator takes Manhattan

Greetings from New York City (above, a view of Rockefeller Center ice rink from my hotel).  I am currently on a scouting trip to New York during Americana Week - the time in late-January when all the big auction houses have their sales and the major antique shows are running.  After arriving yesterday, I spent the afternoon at the New York Ceramics Fair and today it is the Winter Antiques Show and whatever else I may be able to squeeze in.  We're not bidding on anything at any of the major auctions, so this time it's just the shows for me.

So what exactly do I do at these shows?  Well, I talk to people and I look at things.  Those are the two main activities.  Before I left Virginia, I made a binder of information related to items that I'm looking for, including pictures and information gleaned from Lee family records like inventories.  This trip the focus is on ceramics and specifically items found via archaeology (above - like the rat's nest - or below ground).  If you've been to our new slave quarter exhibits, you know that we have archaeology on display.  Two fragments of white salt-glazed stoneware are on view (above) and I'm looking to find whole examples to display in the slave quarter rooms.

Talking and scouting yesterday led to this plate:  an English white salt-glaze plate with molded rim.  Can you see where these fragments might have fit?

I'm also looking for the more rare finds.  Like the Chinese export porcelain pattern we found in the rat's nest with a pair of crabs on it.  Or the agateware tea bowl found in the West Yard and now on display in our new Southwest Outbuilding exhibits.  No luck so far.  So I give out my card, gather e-mail addresses, and will send dealers pictures of the fragments so they can help keep a lookout for examples in the marketplace.  Keep your fingers crossed for me today and I'll be sure to report back if any interesting finds come my way.

Visitor Center Exhibits Get a Facelift

Gretchen reports:

The Lees of Stratford Gallery has received an update, with the final touches completed just this past Friday. We are very excited to be able to bring new interpretive information and objects into the gallery, which will hopefully please both new and returning visitors.

The update includes new object label text with more stories about the Lees and other residents of Stratford; added screening to our lights to cut down levels near light-sensitive objects; and new object mounts to make sure the artifacts are safe and secure.

Jenn from SurroundArt made over 60 mounts in the course of 5 days! For those counting, that just might be a mount-making record.

Kat Marshall put her skills to work cutting out all the new labels for the gallery.

Carlos from SurroundArt carefully rehangs the Lee family coat of arms on its new mounting system (much better than a single nail).

New objects in the cases include: fragments from a rat’s nest found in the Great House's attic (see here for my previous post); the original Hall chandelier hook; Arthur Lee’s writing box; a tureen and ladle from the Storke/Stuart period of Stratford ownership; an original pot hook and birdhouse from Stratford; buttons from Robert E. Lee’s uniforms and a vase used to hold flowers at his funeral.

And a big thank you goes to those donors who helped fund this project:

• 2009 Update Funding Provided In Part By David H. Walker, Tranquillity, Reedville, Virginia
  
• Conservation Funding Provided in Part By Mr. and Mrs. Peter Irving Channing Knowles II, Richmond, Virginia

Laura reports:

In addition to all these updates in the Lee Gallery, we added two new temporary exhibits as well. One exhibit showcases fossils from the Miocene era found right here at Stratford Hall, and the other exhibit presents visitors' photographs in front of the Great House. If you have any photographs of friends or family (historic or present-day!), please send them to me at llawfer@stratfordhall.org.

We did the work on these exhibits in-house, with the help of our collections staff--Gretchen, Sarah, and Kat--and with some mount-making brilliance by Carlos and Jenn at SurroundArt. We're very pleased with the outcome, and we hope you'll come to visit to see the changes in the Lees of Stratford Gallery, and the new temporary exhibits--"The Miocene Era"and "On the Way to Stratford." Let us know what you think.

There are always new things to see at Stratford Hall!

Kat and I figure out photo placement for "On the Way to Stratford." Lots of painters' tape!

A view of the partially-completed exhibit about the Miocene era. Come and see all the great specimens now on display!

Visitor Center project

As some of you may know, we are embarking on a comprehensive campaign. One piece of this campaign involves redoing our current visitor center (and building on to it) to make it more visitor-friendly. Building a new visitor center is a daunting task, and we're beginning to visit area historic sites to get ideas and to see what everyone else is doing. From there, we'll work to make visitors' experiences at Stratford Hall as well-rounded, entertaining, and educational as possible.

To this end, six members of our staff visited Monticello's new visitor center on Wednesday for a colleague opening. We were highly impressed with the thought, time, and effort that has gone into planning and constructing their new visitor center. One part I personally found especially interesting was their hands-on history room, or "discovery room," as they call it. We've been planning our own hands-on history room for families, and Monticello's is something to live up to. From building blocks for toddlers, to a reading corner for families, to the stores on Mulberry Row (see image), to Thomas Jefferson's bed, this room fascinated me. I wish I had more time to spend there, and am very interested to see how families enjoy the activities.

So tell us, what is it that people are looking for in a visitor center? What works and what doesn't work? Let us know what you think. Within the next few years, we'll be doing lots of research, site visits, and planning for this new building, and we'd like your ideas to help guide us.