Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
Washington and Lee University
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
Lee Chapel and Museum, Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University
Related Questions
Read Next
Close up of a hand placing a ballot in a ballot box. Election vote voter voting
Have Any U.S. Presidents Decided Not to Run For a Second Term?
Washington, D.C. locator map.
What State Is Washington, D.C. In?
The United States Supreme Court building, Washington, D.C.
14 Questions About Government in the United States Answered
Bar graph of the United States Death Toll during major events. Infogram chart.
U.S. Death Toll During Major Events
The Battle of New Orleans, by E. Percy Moran, c. 1910. Andrew Jackson, War of 1812.
26 Decade-Defining Events in U.S. History
Discover
Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1855), founder of the house of Rothschild; lithograph by Friedrich Lieder, c. 1830.
Where Do Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories About the Rothschild Family Come From?
Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.
Why Is Ireland Two Countries?
Saint Lucia Day. Young girl wears Lucia crown (tinsel halo) with candles. Holds Saint Lucia Day currant laced saffron buns (lussekatter or Lucia's cats). Observed December 13 honor virgin martyr Santa Lucia (St. Lucy). Luciadagen, Christmas, Sweden
7 Winter Solstice Celebrations From Around the World
Woman tied to a ducking stool, a method of punishment by means of humiliation, beating, or death. (cucking stool)
8 Unusual Punishments Inflicted on Women Throughout History
Plato (left) and Aristotle, detail from School of Athens, fresco by Raphael, 1508-11; in the Stanza della Segnatura, the Vatican. Plato points to the heavens and the realm of Forms, Aristotle to the earth and the realm of things.
Plato and Aristotle: How Do They Differ?
Thanksgiving Celebration Traditional Dinner Setting Food Concept
Why Is Thanksgiving in the U.S. Celebrated on a Thursday?
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Engraving by Cosomo Colombini (d. 1812) after a Leonardo self portrait. Ca. 1500.
10 Famous Artworks by Leonardo da Vinci
Lee Chapel and Museum, Washington and Lee University
Lee Chapel and Museum, Washington and Lee University The Lee Chapel and Museum, on the campus of Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia. The chapel contains the crypt of Robert E. Lee and his family.

Washington and Lee University

university, Lexington, Virginia, United States
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Also known as: Augusta Academy, Liberty Hall Academy, Washington Academy, Washington College
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History

Washington and Lee University, private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Lexington, Virginia, U.S. The university, one of the oldest in the United States, comprises the College, the School of Law, and the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics. It offers undergraduate programs in engineering, environmental studies, journalism, and arts and sciences. The School of Law awards a doctorate in jurisprudence. Total enrollment is approximately 2,000.

In 1749 a group of Presbyterians established Augusta Academy. Inspired by the American Revolution, its trustees changed the school’s name to Liberty Hall in 1776. It was initially located about 20 miles northeast of Lexington, but in 1780 the academy moved to Lexington. Two years later it was rechartered as Liberty Hall Academy. George Washington presented the academy with a gift of $50,000 in 1796 after part of the school was destroyed by a fire; the academy showed its appreciation by renaming the institution Washington Academy in 1798. It became Washington College in 1813. Robert E. Lee served as president of the college from 1865 until his death in 1870 and the following year the name was changed to Washington and Lee University.

The university became coeducational in 1972 when it admitted women to the school of law. Beginning in 1985, women were permitted to enroll in two undergraduate programs. Lee Chapel and Museum (1867), a national historic landmark, contains the crypt of the Lee family. Located in the chapel is a statue of Lee, and in the museum is the Washington-Custis-Lee collection of notable portraits of Washington and Lee.