by Holly Horton
MIDDLESEX – The Middlesex County Museum and Historical Society’s fall fundraiser is set for 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13, at Historic Rosegill on the banks of the Rappahannock River in Middlesex County. Dr. Gordon Blaine Steffey, Stratford Hall historian, will be the guest speaker.
During the afternoon’s festivities, the museum’s annual Preservation Award will be presented to Arthur Broaddus “A.B.” Gravatt, in honor of his late wife Diane Gravatt, for her hard work and diligence in the preservation of Lansdowne. The couple completely restored the historic residence after purchasing the house and property at 271 Virginia St. 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 Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee. Arthur Lee is buried on the Lansdowne property.
Dr. Steffey will discuss Lansdowne’s famous owner and resident, A. Lee. At Stratford Hall, Dr. Steffey is the director of research and academic programs. He is also the director of the Jessie Ball 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 Hall in November 2022 after nearly 20 years of teaching at Randolph College (formerly Randolph Macon Woman’s College) in Lynchburg.
The fall fundraiser will be presented at Historic Rosegill’s barn, 1824 Urbanna Road, Urbanna. Appetizers, wine and beer will be available.
Tickets are $35 for members and $45 for nonmembers or at the door. Tickets may be purchased online at middlesexmuseum.com, at the museum, 777 General Puller Highway, at Nauti Nell’s store in Deltaville and Salon by The Bay in Hartfield. Sponsorships are available at the following levels:
• Platinum, $500 (includes four tickets).
• Gold, $250 (includes two tickets).
• Silver, $100 (includes one ticket).
Sponsorships can be purchased online or by calling 804-758-3663.
Please contact the museum with any questions at info@middlesexmuseum.com or 804-758-3663.
(Holly Horton is the director of the Middlesex County Museum.)
