Garden Club of Virginia Plaque

The Garden Club of Virginia first undertook improvements to the grounds of Lee Chapel in the 1930s, working with Washington and Lee President Francis P. Gaines, Louise Gilliam, wife of Dean Frank Gilliam, and the Blue Ridge Garden Club of Lexington. Landscape architect Charles F. Gillette developed plans for new plantings, walkways, and improvements to the chapel entrance, completed principally in 1935. The project enhanced the grounds of one of the South's most visited landmarks.

As part of its program commemorating the American Bicentennial, the Garden Club returned to Lee Chapel in 1977 to construct a curved brick terrace and surrounding plantings at the building's entrance. Designed by landscape architect W. Thomas Borellis of GWSM, Inc., the project was funded through proceeds from Historic Garden Week in Virginia. The terrace and its commemorative plaque were formally dedicated on September 22, 1977, during a ceremony attended by Garden Club representatives and university officials. Mrs. Toy D. Savage Jr., president of the Garden Club of Virginia, presented the improvements to University President Robert E. R. Huntley. The plaque acknowledged the Garden Club's gift with the inscription, “In Reverent Memory of General Robert E. Lee / This Terrace and Plantings For The Lee Chapel.”

In September 2020, the Garden Club of Virginia removed the plaque at the request of Washington and Lee administrators. According to reporting in The W&L Spectator, university officials had requested the removal of its inscription honoring Robert E. Lee. This appears to have been the first of at least thirty historical plaques and memorials removed or altered across the Washington and Lee campus this decade. In 2022, a replacement plaque was installed at the terrace, retaining recognition of the Garden Club's contributions, including the dates and architects of its 1934–35 and 1976–77 projects. The replacement omitted the dedication to Lee and identified the building as “University Chapel” rather than “Lee Chapel.”

IN REVERENT MEMORY OF
GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE
THIS TERRACE AND PLANTINGS
FOR THE
LEE CHAPEL
GIVEN BY
THE GARDEN CLUB OF VIRGINIA
1934-1935
CHARLES GILLETTE —
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
1974-1977
GWSM, INC. - LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

Washington and Lee University has not issued a public statement explaining the removal or alteration of the Garden Club of Virginia plaque outside Lee Chapel. According to a November 9, 2020, report in The W&L Spectator, representatives of the Garden Club's Restoration Committee confirmed that university administrators requested the removal of the inscription “In Reverent Memory of General Robert E. Lee” during an August 2020 meeting. The Garden Club subsequently agreed to replace the inscription with its organizational seal.

Although a replacement plaque was installed in 2022, the university has not publicly announced the whereabouts of the original memorial or any plans for its reinstallation or exhibition.

The university has not responded to recent TGR inquiries concerning the whereabouts and future exhibition of removed plaques. However, in September 2026 correspondence with The W&L Spectator, Museum Director Matt Davis stated: “Our storage facility is not open to the public, nor do we make a list of our collections inventory available to the public.” He further explained that “the size and weight of some of these artifacts are not conducive to public viewing.” Regarding their future exhibition, Davis wrote: “It is possible that some or all of these artifacts will eventually be incorporated into temporary or permanent exhibits once the new museum is open, and we hope to have online databases and viewing rooms in the future.”

1. https://www.virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=RCN19340125.1.2

2. https://www.virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=SNH19770925.1.14

3. https://digitalarchive.wlu.edu/islandora/alumni-magazine-washington-and-lee-university-november-1977

4. https://www.wluspectator.com/articles/2020/11/9/the-mystery-of-the-vanishing-plaque?rq=garden%20club

5. https://gcvirginia.org/project/washington-and-lee-university