The Kentucky Hills had been under the Lee family's ownership since 1717, when Thomas Lee bought the Clifts Plantation. Over the next century the family expanded the estate, purchasing the parcel that would become the 480‑acre easement in 1732. The area later hosted Stratford Hall’s Great House, the birthplace of Robert E. Lee and the boyhood home of two brothers who signed the Declaration of Independence.
An open‑space conservation easement, signed by Stratford Hall Historic Preserve and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, freezes the land’s use for decades. The agreement prohibits new construction, subdivision, and mining, while allowing limited agriculture and forestry that respects historic and ecological values. The easement is legally enforceable in perpetuity, meaning future owners cannot alter the land without violating the contract.
The Kentucky Hills easement joins a growing chain of protected Potomac landscapes, linking Westmoreland State Park and the George Washington Birthplace National Monument. Together, the network now safeguards roughly 7,000 acres and 8 miles of riverbank, a critical corridor for wildlife and a living record of the region’s colonial past.
Funding came from the U.S. Navy’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration program and Virginia’s land conservation funds, with the Trust for Public Land’s support. Management plans call for a publicly accessible trail system that will let visitors walk through oak‑clad woodlands, view archaeological sites, and learn about the plantation’s labor history, including the enslaved people who built the estate.
Trail construction is slated to begin in spring 2027, with a grand opening planned for summer 2028.