Washington and Lee University is located in Lexington, Virginia,in the scenic Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

In 1749, the pioneers of the Valley of Virginia founded a small classical school which became known as Liberty Hall. In 1796 George Washington gave the school an endowment gift so generous that it still pays a part of the cost of the education for every student. The school expressed its gratitude to the first President of the United States by changing the name of the school to Washington College.

After Appomattox in 1865, Robert E. Lee accepted the presidency of the college. Lee greatly expanded the range of instruction and made the college a national institution. Upon the death of General Lee, the name of the institution was changed to Washington and Lee University.