I have found
that the way to truly begin to understand the private side of an individual’s
personality is to visit their home and peer into their personal spaces and presidential
homes are very popular. The most visited of these homes is Mount Vernon, residence
of George and Martha. Mount Vernon is located in Virginia 16-miles south of Washington,
DC. and approximately 90-miles south are the homes of the third and fourth
presidents, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Their plantations, Monticello
and Montpelier, are a few miles from Charlottesville and within close proximity
of one another. www.visitcharlottesville.org
Both estates strive to present
the personal and professional lives of these men as well as the enslaved who
were also residents. The goal of both sites is to alter the prevailing
narrative and depict the slaves as individuals with families, friends, desires,
personal spaces and separate lives. www.virginia.org
Monticello, the more famous of
the two, was the home of Thomas Jefferson from the ages of 26-46 years old. Jefferson
owned several properties and approximately 600 slaves and most worked at
Monticello. Plan to spend several hours visiting all the sites. Tours begin
with an orientation film and proceed into the gallery to view four exhibitions.
Shuttles take you around the grounds and to the mansion. www.monticello.org
Most people are familiar with
the house because it is depicted on the nickel but they have little idea of the
intricacies of its design. The interior of the home is 90% original as are 30%
of the glass and 60% of the furnishings. Slaves including master carpenter John
Hemings completed much of the building. Your tour begins in the 2-story entry where
Burwell Colbert, the enslaved butler, greeted guests. It is filled with
artifacts, many Native American. Antlers are the only original item, the remainder
are recreations made by descendants of the original artisans.
Jefferson read and wrote in 7
languages and his library held over 700 books. The displayed books are the same
titles and editions as the originals. Jefferson’s bed was situated in an alcove
and on one side was his study, on the other side his dressing room. He died in
this room. In 1998 DNA linked Sally Hemings, an enslaved woman, to the
Jefferson Family and it is believed he fathered her six children. Currently
they are excavating a windowless room that they believe was hers. A Hemings Family Tour is offered.
www.home.monticello.org
The house was designed with
the dependencies all connected along passageways. The most interesting areas are
the Wine Cellar, the cook’s room and the kitchen, said to have been the best
equipped kitchen in America. Be certain to tour Mulberry Row, where free and
enslaved craftsmen lived, and the slave cemetery. Your final stop will be
Jefferson’s grave in the family cemetery.
Montpelier was the home of James
and Dolley Madison after his presidency. The estate had been in his family
since the 1730s and after his birth in 1751 his father built the current house.
Rooms were added to the home and later he added wings on either side. He and
Dolley, America’s first First Lady, would live there until his death.
Dolley was a Quaker who wed
John Todd, a lawyer, at the age of 22. They resided at 4th &
Walnut in Philadelphia from 1791-93. In 1793 Dolley’s in-laws, husband and baby
died. In 1794 Aaron Burr introduced Madison to her and later that year they
wed. Tours of the Dolley Todd Madison House are offered seasonally.
www.phlvisitorcenter.com/attraction/todd-house
James Madison was the 4th
President of the United States, the Father of the Constitution, the Architect
of the Bill of Rights and owner of a plantation with more than 275 slaves. Touring
Montpelier is a totally unique experience because it deals with all of the
historic contradictions in our culture. Madison and other founding fathers set
forth the ideal of freedom for everyone but slavery at its height was a more
than $3-billion industry and every state benefitted from it. In most cases
profit trumped moral imperatives.
There are two exhibits and an introductory
film inside the Visitor’s Center. Grills
Gallery features items connected with the Madisons including Dolley’s
engagement ring. The Center’s Exchange Café offers a wonderful dining
experience. Their barbecue is ranked #1 in the area and 30th
nationwide. Everything is made using fresh local produce.
The home has been
architecturally restored and it is exciting to see and learn the history.
Madison retired here in 1817. By the 1830s Dolley bedroom was in the left wing
and Madison, who was ill, slept in a room behind the dining room. He became
paralyzed and was attended by Paul Jennings, a slave, for many years. He died
in 1836, the last of the Founding Fathers. Dolley sold Jennings after Madison’s
death to Daniel Webster. Webster allowed him to purchase his freedom. He wrote
a book, “A Colored Man’s Reminiscences of Madison”. In 1844 Dolley sold the
2,650-acre estate for $35,000 to pay debts. Dolley died in 1849 and was buried
in Montpelier in 1858.
The story of slavery at
Montpelier and in society is told in the best exhibit I have seen. Two cellar
galleries interpret the private and public lives of the slaves in state-of
the-art displays. “The Mere Distinction of Colour” is based on oral histories
of Montpelier’s slaves. Uniquely the film is presented as shadows on the walls
evoking the ephemeral existence of the enslaved. A slave cemetery and six
cabins dating from the 1700s are featured on the tour. Additional areas on the
our include walking trails, gardens, 200-acres of Piedmont Forest and
archeological sites. www.montpelier.org
The George Gilmore Cabin is
located nearby. He was a slave born on the Montpelier plantation. He purchased
19.11-acres of land and his cabin is the
nation’s first Freedman’s site. Montpelier’s 1910 Train Station has been
restored to its Jim Crow era appearance. Displays are based on oral testimony
by area residents.
The original 3000-acres that is now the Clifton Inn belonged to Peter Jefferson
and later Thomas Randolph, Jefferson’s son-in-law. The building was a warehouse
and the stone foundation is part of the hotel’s main house. This historic
property features luxurious accommodations in the main house and in the
dependencies. The restaurant offers gourmet cuisine and exemplary service. This
is perfect for meetings, a romantic getaway, a retreat or reunion.
www.clifton-inn.com
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