Meet Frank C. Megargee: Keeping Declaration of Independence Signer Richard Henry Lee's Legacy Alive

Meet Frank C. Megargee.

As I created this post, I got lost in Richard Henry Lee's letters, transcribed and archived on Stratford Hall's digital collection. Lee and his siblings, have fascinated me for some time and after visiting Stratford Hall, the family's ancestral home, I keep diving deeper into the roles this one generation of Lees played in shaping our United States of America.

When I learned that Frank C. Megargee has spent years studying the Lee legacy and bringing Richard Henry's story to life, I knew I had to interview him for you all. I'm beyond grateful he agreed.

Ironically, I met Frank while he was volunteering at the historic home of St. George Tucker, which now serves as Colonial Williamsburg's (CW) donor reception center. Tucker is a man credited with sharing words he recalled from Patrick Henry's "Liberty or Death" speech. (You'll see the irony, or perhaps serendipity, further down).

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RELATED: Click here to learn more about "the Revolutionary Lees" and their historic home by opening a new tab.

Frank C. Megargee portraying Richard Henry Lee

Question 1: Tell us about choosing your path into re-enactment and historical interpretation.

I had a strong interest in history and political philosophy from a young age, probably owing to the influence of my parents. After college, I spent a number years on the home-building business, a significant portion of it as a draftsman/designer where I became enamored of Colonial Tidewater architecture.

This led to frequent trips to Colonial Williamsburg (CW) and its remarkable collection of 18th century architecture. These trips rekindled my love of early American history. I was particularly inspired by the Character interpreters such as Bill Barker as Thomas Jefferson, Mark Muller as George Washington, and Jack Flintom as John Randolph.

I was able to secure employment at CWF (CW Foundation) as a site interpreter; essentially a tour guide of buildings, but what I really wanted to do was be a character interpreter.

I initially wanted to play Patrick Henry, but upon witnessing Richard Schumann in that role, I decided I'd be better off focusing on the other great orator of the period, Richard Henry Lee.

As such, I began lobbying the head of that department [at CW], Bill Weldon, and he graciously "borrowed" me from sites on a number of occasions to portray Lee in various programs. Then when "Revolutionary City" began, I auditioned and got the part.

Richard Schumann portraying Patrick Henry, 2022

Question 2: Please share how you became focused on portraying Richard Henry Lee.

When I first started as a site interpreter at CWF, I received extensive training which demonstrated to me that while I had a wealth of general knowledge of the period, my specific knowledge of Virginia's history was lacking.

To rectify this, I began reading the seven volume tome 'Revolutionary Virginia: The Road To Independence,' which was available in every breakroom at CWF. It is there that I discovered a man largely written out of history and forgotten though without him our history would not be the same.

He figured prominently in every event of significance during this period and was clearly the driving force behind the revolutionary movement in Virginia. His name was Richard Henry Lee.

I became determined that his voice should be heard once again.

View of reconstructed Capitol where Lee served in Williamsburg

Question 3: What would surprise readers to know about Richard Henry Lee and/or his family?

Wow, I could, and probably should, write an entire book in answer to this question. But in general I would have to say it is the breadth and depth of R.H. Lee and his brothers involvement in every significant aspect of the revolutionary movement.

(Note from Daphne: 8 points follow with some serious history you may be surprised by, but you will quickly see why I'm fascinated by the Revolutionary Lees)

1- From his earliest days in the [Virginia] House of Burgesses, Lee distinguished himself much in debate to the chagrin of the old guard of Tidewater dandies who controlled the House. He became the leader of a coalition of the Northern Neck and the Piedmont.

His speech in 1758 in favor of a bill imposing a ten percent impost on the importation of slaves riled the members greatly. Doing this by owning they and himself to be hypocrites to call themselves Christians while engaging in the trafficking of humans.

Capitol in Williamsburg

2- He [RH Lee] was instrumental in bringing down the Tidewater Junta when at the death of speaker John Robinson it was discovered he had engaged in a massive corrupt scheme.

The House had printed large sums of paper money in support of the war with the French and their Indian allies, which was supposed to be burnt when it was returned to the Treasury in the form of tax payment.

But instead the speaker, in his role as Treasurer, was “lending” it to his friends and political allies who never paid it back. This opened the door to a younger set of men such as R.H.Lee, Patrick Henry, George Washington, and later James Madison to gain influence in the House of Burgesses.

The debt incurred by the prosecution of the French and Indian War led Parliament to attempt direct taxation of the colonies, a violation of their ancient rights as freeborn Britons to be taxed only by themselves or their elected representatives.

Lee was in the forefront of the opposition, penning resolves against the Stamp Act before it was even passed.

Patrick Henry gave more famous resolves the following year. The main difference was in tone and the fact that Henry made sure his resolves found their way into the newspapers, whereas the House did not see fit to make public Lee's earlier resolves.

Historical marker for Lee's homes

3- In 1769 while hunting, the breech of Richard Henry Lee's fowling piece exploded, relieving him of the four digits of his left hand leaving only his thumb intact. As a result, he nearly bled to death.

From that time forward, he would wrap the hand in a silk cloth and use it to emphasize his points when speaking before the house.

4- R.H. Lee was elected to the first Continental Congress in 1774 where he formed an alliance with John and Sam Adams sometimes referred to by their detractors as the “Lee Adams Junto."

Their tireless efforts led to Richard Henry Lee's resolution at the 2nd Continental congress of June 6th, 1776 “That these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states...”

Note from Daphne: this is what it looks like, Lee introduced the resolution voted on to declare Independence, adopted on July 2, 1776.

5- William Lee, brother of R.H. Lee, spent many years in England acting as the commercial agent for the family.

Arthur, the youngest of the brothers, was educated as a physician in Edinburgh and practiced for a time in VA before returning to England to become a lawyer. He served as a Colonial Agent and became a member of the Royal Society.

• Both brothers were involved in English politics and were close associates of the radical John Wilkes.
• Both brothers were elected as Alderman of the City of London and William as Sheriff.
• The Continental Congress appointed both men as agents, and William was instrumental in securing a number of commercial agreements in favor of the war effort.
• Arthur was instrumental in securing the “Treaty of Comity and Amity” with the French which turned the tide of the war.

Arthur Lee's travel writing desk, Stratford Hall

6- Under the Articles of Confederation R.H.Lee was elected as the president of Congress making him technically the first President of the United States.

7- Richard Henry Lee was a leading opponent to the U.S. Constitution and laid out his objections in a series of letters entitled “Letters of a Federal Farmer.”

In response to those that said it must be adopted quickly and without amendments in light of Shay's Rebellion, he replied “To say that we should institute a bad government for the fear of anarchy is the same as to same we should kill ourselves for the fear of dying.”

8- R.H. Lee was elected as the first Senator from the state of Virginia and worked closely with James Madison in the House of Representatives to correct the Constitutions greatest flaw, the lack of a bill of rights.

This was accomplished by the passage of the first ten amendments to the Constitution.

R.H. Lee bust, Virginia State Capitol, Richmond

Question 4: What are two or three sites highlighting the Revolutionary Lee family which you recommend we visit, if possible?

Yeocomico Church, Cople Parrish.

This was the church attended by the Lee family and many other luminaries of the Northern Neck (the peninsula that lies between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers in Virginia).

The brick church was built in 1707, though an earlier wood frame church had been there since 1645. It has many unique architectural features and the graveyard is amazing. They still hold services there each Sunday at 11:00 a.m.

'The Burnt House Field'

This is a small family graveyard where Richard Henry Lee is buried along with his two wives, his father Thomas Lee, and his grandfather Richard Lee.

It was once the site of "Mount Pleasant" where Thomas Lee and his wife Hannah [R.H. Lee's parents] began their family and sits upon the banks of the Machodac River. It is called the "burnt house field" because in 1729 the house burned to the ground.

It was arson carried out by two convict indentures who had been convicted in the county court of a misdemeanor offense and sought revenge against the chief magistrate of the court, Thomas Lee.

They broke in and stole whatever they could easily grab such as silver and then fled after setting the house alight with Thomas Lee asleep above stairs along with his pregnant wife and their three children. Thomas Lee was awakened by the smoke and he and the family escaped by a second floor window as the first floor was already engulfed in flames.

An indentured servant girl, age 12, died in the fire and Hannah Lee lost her child as a result of the fall from the window.

The graveyard sits on a rise in a farm field enclosed by a brick wall and is accessible by a well cared for dirt lane. It is a beautiful spot to stand and ruminate on our history.

Burnt House Fields, Lee family graves

Note from Daphne: Dr. Gordon Blaine-Steffey, Stratford Hall's Vice President of Research and CollectionsDirector of the Jessie Ball duPont Memorial Library took me there; he is a Lee family expert and you can read his related interview by clicking here.

Stratford Hall

This is the home that Thomas Lee began building shortly before the burning of "Mount Pleasant."

It is where R.H. Lee and his siblings grew up. It is an extremely well preserved Georgian Mansion located on the cliffs overlooking the Potomac River. The house and ground are open to the public.

I will be appearing there as Lee on June 7th, 2026 at a celebration commemorating Lee's motion for independence in 1776.

RELATED: Click here to bookmark Stratford Hall's event calendar!

Stratford Hall

Question 5: Please share two or three a-ha moments you've had as an historian.

We are all familiar with Patrick Henry's famous "Liberty or Death" speech at St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia, but few people know Richard Henry Lee also spoke at length that day.

No one wrote down the words of either man at the time, so what we know of Henry's speech comes mainly from the first biography of Patrick Henry written by his descendant William Wirt. Mr. Wirt pulled together letters of the period and conducted interviews with the living attendees that he could find and reconstructed the speech.

Years ago, I came across a letter by the father of Chief Justice John Marshall who was in attendance at the speech, where he attributed several of the more famous lines to Lee rather than Henry.

Another a-ha moment was when I read The Cousins War by Kevin Phillips. I had long seen the American Revolution as a perfect storm of ideas from the Enlightenment to the Great Awakening, but Phillips pulled it all together along with factors I hadn't considered, tracing its origins to the English Civil Wars and projecting it forward to the American Civil War and beyond.

My biggest a-ha moment was on a visit to the Jessie Ball duPont Library at Stratford Hall. While there, engaging in basic research, I was approached by the head of the library, Judy Hynson. She said "I have something here I think you might be interested in."

It was a detailed estate inventory of Richard Henry Lee that by all accounts had long ago been lost. In the 18th century, upon the death of a person, the executors of the will walked the property and wrote down every item and assigned value to it. This was then submitted to the County Court.

It was amazing, and included every volume in his library including the title and author.

Reading room, Jessie Ball duPont Library, Stratford Hall

Question 6: If there’s one piece of knowledge or advice you’d like readers to walk away with about preserving and understanding history, what would it be?

Keep an open mind as history has a way of surprising us and upsetting our preconceived notions.

Try not to judge people of the past by today's standards and values, but rather seek to understand them within their world as they knew it.

Closing words from history.

From Richard Henry Lee himself. Sourced from Stratford Hall's Lee Digital Archives. You can read the letter in full by clicking here.

Lee is giving Washington the news of his "election" to the become our first United States President.

Sender: Richard Henry Lee

Recipient: George Washington

New York April 6. 1789.

Dear Sir,

On the Sunday sennight after leaving Mt. Vernon I arrived here, where to my surprize I found that a quorum of the Senate was not assembled, and but a small majority of Representatives.

On this day we went to business & to my great satisfaction I heard a unanimous vote of the electing states in favor of calling you to the honorable office of Prest. of the U.S.

Before this period I judged it might not be acceptable to speak my sentiments to you on this subject; but now I hope I may be permitted to express my ardent hope that your inclinations may correspond with the United wish of America, that you should preside over those councils which you have so greatly contributed to render independent.

Indeed I am sure that the public happiness which I know you have so much at heart will be very insecure without your acceptance.

(letter continues)

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There is a huge practical disclaimer to the content on this blog, which is my way of sharing my excitement and basically journaling online.

1) I am not a historian nor an expert. I will let you know I’m relaying the information as I understand and interpret it. The employees of Colonial Williamsburg base their presentations, work, and responses on historical documents and mainly primary sources. In the case of interviews, I am sharing the words of the interviewee: their values, beliefs, and interpretation of research, highlighting any notes of my own as mine.

2) I will update for accuracy as history is constant learning. If you have a question about accuracy, please ask me! I will get the answer from the best source I can find.

3) Photo credit to me, Daphne Reznik, for all photos in this post, unless otherwise credited! All photos are personal photos taken in public access locations or with specific permission.