Interpretation of the Tobacco Culture at Stratford Hall
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THE VERNACULAR LANDSCAPE: INTERPRETATION OF THE TOBACCO CULTURE AT STRATFORD HALL By DANIEL TAYLOR WELDON (Under the Direction of Wayde Brown) ABSTRACT Landscapes present a unique challenge to the preservation profession in regards to cultural resource management due to the constantly changing nature of the natural environment. The challenge is only intensified when presented with a cultural landscape used for agriculture, where fluctuating social, economic, and environmental conditions often contribute to rapid changes in land‐use patterns. When seeking to interpret the Colonial Era tobacco culture that developed along the Northern Neck of Virginia, a peninsula bound by the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers, one is faced with all these factors. This thesis investigates the methods and implications of site interpretation that have been used on tobacco culture sites and the application of the methods to Stratford Hall Plantation. Index Words: Cultural Landscapes, Interpretation, Stratford Hall, Northern Neck, Tobacco Culture, Augmented Reality i THE VERNACULAR LANDSCAPE: INTERPRETATION OF THE TOBACCO CULTURE AT STRATFORD HALL By Daniel Taylor Weldon B.S., Auburn University, 2012 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Historic Preservation Athens, Georgia 2014 i ® 2014 Daniel Taylor Weldon All Rights Reserved ii THE VERNACULAR LANDSCAPE: INTERPRETATION OF THE TOBACCO CULTURE AT STRATFORD HALL By Daniel Taylor Weldon Major Professor: Wayde Brown Committee: Cari Goetcheus Shelley Cannady Beth Byrd Electron Version Approved: Julie Coffield Interim Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia August 2014 iii DEDICATION: Dad, who always asks the questions of what next, and what difference have you made? Mom, who always knows when to listen, when to talk, and when to send chocolate. And Micah who is a man of few words, but always seems to know what to say to his older brother. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dr. Wayde Brown, thank you for serving as a guide during the thesis process and for exposing me to the importance of interpretation in preservation. Stratford Hall is vastly different from the A.H. Stephen’s house, but the principles needed to provoke the audience are the same. The twists and turns of the research and writing process have been made more meaningful by having a voice of reason to question and challenge decisions. Cari Goetcheus, thank you for introducing me to a unique world that is Stratford Hall. However, more importantly thank you for serving as a mentor and for cultivating a fascination with cultural landscapes. My view on what preservation can and should be has expanded because of your influence. Beth Byrd thank you for aiding in the location of NPS sites with unique methods in site interpretation and for serving on my reading committee Shelley Cannady thank you for serving on my reading committee. Katie and Kit, thank you all for listening to the complaints of a friend or reading a few chapters here and there‐ It was greatly appreciated. v TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................................. V LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................................................... VII CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 1 2 LITERATURE REVIEW OF CULTURAL LANDSCAPES AND SITE INTERPRETATION .............................. 9 3 TOBACCO CULTURE AND STRATFORD HALL ................................................................................... 32 4 TOBACCO CULTURE LANDSCAPE INTERPRETIVE CASE STUDIES..................................................... 82 5 ANALYSIS OF INTERPRETIVE THEMES AND MEDIA ...................................................................... 110 6 TOBACCO CULTURE LANDSCAPES INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: PROPOSALS FOR STRATFORD HALL .......................................................................................................................... 122 BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................................................................... 146 vi LIST OF FIGURES PAGE Figure1.1 Stratford Hall from the southwest of the Oval facing north ........................................................... 4 Figure1.2 The Tobacco Patch at Stratford Hall in Jenkins Field, Photograph, RELMA Collection, 1964 ......... 6 Figure 3.1 Map detailing the Northern Neck of Virginia ................................................................................. 35 Figure 3.2 Tobacco Plant‐showing the plant in bloom, illustration from Jonathan Carver Treatise on Tobacco Culture ............................................................................................................................................. 36 Figure 3.3 Jeffery Klee after Orland Ridout V, Tobacco House, found in “Agricultural Buildings,” 185. ........ 44 Figure 3.4 Benjamin Latrobe, York River View, 1797, watercolor, Maryland Historical Society .................... 49 Figure 3.5 Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson, Virginia Port, 1751, cartouche, in New York Public Library Arents Collection ............................................................................................................................................. 51 Figure 3.6 Benjamin Latrobe, Slaves in the Field, 1796, drawing, Maryland Historical Society ..................... 55 Figure 3.7 Edward Chappell, Slave Quarters, found in “Housing Slavery,” 161 ............................................. 57 Figure 3.8 Map of critical locations at Stratford Hall ...................................................................................... 63 Figure 3.9 Pope Era Landscape, map by author .............................................................................................. 64 Figure 3.10 Thomas Lee Landscape, map by author ....................................................................................... 67 Figure 3.11 The South façade of the Great House, photo by author ............................................................. 69 Figure 3.12 Philip Ludwell Lee Landscape, map by author ............................................................................. 72 Figure 3.13 ‘Light Horse’ Harry Lee Landscape, map by author ..................................................................... 78 Figure 4.1 Menokin, photo taken by author ................................................................................................... 84 vii Figure 4.2 Machado and Silvetti, Rendering of Menokin Glass House, found in “The Menokin Glass Project,” pg. 1.................................................................................................................................................. 87 Figure 4.3 Machado and Silvetti, Master Plan for the Menokin Landscape, in “The Menokin Glass Project”,94 ..................................................................................................................................................... 90 Figure 4.4 Monticello, photo taken by author ............................................................................................... 92 Figure 4.5 Monticello Overview, found on Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello ................................................... 95 Figure 4.6 George Washington Birthplace, photo taken by author ................................................................ 99 Figure 4.7 Panel at GWBNM, photo taken by author ..................................................................................... 102 Figure 4.8 Cattle at GWBNM, photo taken by author ................................................................................... 104 Figure 4.9 NPS “Thomas Stone Historic Site” found on park webpage .......................................................... 105 Figure 6.1 Biography, identification of locations for the interpretive theme of biography, map by author 125 Figure 6.2 Colonial Era Land Use, locations for depicting land use, map by author ...................................... 129 Figure6.3 Multilayered Landscape, locations for depicting the layers of the landscape, map by author ...... 133 Figure6.4 Multiple Location, the map locates the areas of the plantation where interpretation can be expanded to explain the legacy of the tobacco culture ................................................................................. 136 viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Unlike other cultural resources, landscapes present a unique challenge to those seeking to interpret them, as they are composed of living, ever changing elements. The nature of a landscape is to be in a state of constant flux, continuously changing, evolving, and reacting to natural cycles of growth and decline. A landscape feature, such as a tree, starts as a seedling, grows to sapling, matures, and eventually succumbs to age, reverting back to the soil to support future growth. Similarly, an open expanse of grass can evolve into bramble, supporting first stage growth such as pines, followed by next stage successional oaks, before finally supporting specimens such as magnolias. A landscape, by its very nature, is not static. Another significant factor in the appearance and form of the landscape is the influence of humans, who often manipulate the