Stratford in Westmoreland County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Clifts Plantation Site

A Busy Tobacco Plantation Once Flourished Here

Photographed By Paul Jordan, August 2, 2010

1. Clifts Plantation Site Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Between 1976 and 1978, archaeological excavations on this spot revealed the remains of the "Clifts," a busy tobacco plantation. When first occupied in 1670, this land belonged to Thomas Pope, an English merchant and Westmoreland County planter, and was farmed by his tenants. After Pope's death, it passed to his widow Joanna, and later to his son Nathaniel, who lived here just over a decade. In 1717 Nathaniel Pope sold "the manner house erected on the second clift [cliff]," its outbuildings, and the surrounding 1,100 acres to Thomas Lee. Lee operated the plantation as a tenancy until the construction of the present Great House circa 1738. The buildings on this site were then torn down to make way for the road connecting Lee's new brick mansion with his landing on the Potomac River.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Colonial Era. A significant historical year for this entry is 1976.

Location. 38° 9.562′ N, 76° 50.214′ W. Marker is in Stratford, Virginia, in Westmoreland County. Marker can be reached from Great House Road. The marker is on the grounds of Stratford Hall Plantation, the

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birthplace of Robert E. Lee. The historic site is on Stratford Hall Road (VA Highway 214), on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Stratford VA 22558, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Clifts Plantation Burial Ground (here, next to this marker); The Stratford Cliffs (approx. ¼ mile away); The Stratford Mill (approx. 0.4 miles away); Controlling the Water Supply to the Mill (approx. 0.4 miles away); Stratford Landing: Significant Events (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Landing: Gateway to the World (approx. 0.4 miles away); American Indians at Stratford (approx. half a mile away); Slave Cemetery (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Stratford.

Also see . . . Stratford Hall Historic Site. (Submitted on August 18, 2010, by Paul Jordan of Burlington, N. C., U. S. A..)

Photographed By Paul Jordan, August 2, 2010

2. Clifts Plantation Site Marker

This scale model of the Clifts Plantation manor house (c. 12675) shows four-sided palisade walls that were erected in response to the settlers' fears of American Indian attacks. The flimsy palisade survived for only a short time before it fell down or was intentionally dismantled.

Photographed By Paul Jordan, August 2, 2010

3. Clifts Plantation Site Marker

Outline of the Clifts Plantation manor house site during its excavation in the mid-1970s. Post holes from the manor house can be seen at the center surrounded by a rectangular palisade with corner bastions; the deeper pits are cellars for the storage of foodstuffs and valuables.

Photographed By Paul Jordan, August 2, 2010

4. Clifts Plantation Site Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on August 18, 2010, by Paul Jordan of Burlington, N. C., U. S. A.. This page has been viewed 1,765 times since then and 70 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 18, 2010, by Paul Jordan of Burlington, N. C., U. S. A.. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.