Middlesex County Museum to Host Arthur Lee Historian at Fall Fundraiser

The Middlesex County Museum and Historical Society will host its Fall Fundraiser on Sunday, October 31 from 2:00 to 4:00 MP at Historic Rosegill on the banks of the Rappahannock River. Dr. Gordon Blaine Steffey, Historic Stradford Hall's Arthur Lee Historian, will be the guest speaker.

During the afternoon's festivities, the Museum's Annual Preservation Award will be presented to A. B. Gravatt in honor of his late wife Diane Gravatt for her hard work and diligence in the preservation of Lansdowne. They completely preserved the historic residence after purchasing the house and property on Virginia Street in the heart of Urbanna in 1998.

Lansdowne was the home of diplomat Arthur Lee (1740-1792), the youngest son of Thomas Lee of Stratford Hall. Lee helped to negotiate and signed the 1778 Treaty of Alliance, which allied France and the United States together during the American Revolutionary War. He was the younger brother of two signers of the Declaration of Independence, Richard Henry Le and Francis Lightfoot Lee. Arthur Lee is buried on the Lansdowne property.

The special guest speaker for the evening si Stratford Hall's Dr Gordon Blaine Steffey. Dr. Steffey will be discussing Lansdowne's famous owner and resident Arthur Lee and will give all present an interesting insight into his fascinating life. At Stratford Hall, Dr. Steffey is the Director of Research, Academic Programs, and the Jessie Bal duPont Memorial Library. His role is to preserve and to produce knowledge about the multiple generations and communities who called Stratford home and to highlight their incredible contributions to the founding of our country.

Dr. Steffey completed his undergraduate degree at Saint Olaf College and earned graduate degrees from Yale University and the University of Virginia. He joined Stratford Hal in November 2022 after nearly 20 years of teaching at Randolph College (formerly Randolph Macon Woman's College) in Lynchburg, Virginia.

The Fall Fundraiser will be held at Historic Rosegill's barn, located at 1824 Urbanna Road, Saluda (near Urbanna). Appetizers wine and beer will be served.

Please contact the museum with any questions at info@middlesexmuseum.org.org 804-758-3663