Day 136 Charlottesville Virginia
Trip Start
May 07, 2008
1
143
205
Trip End
Nov 22, 2008
Charlottesville,
Virginia,
United States
Friday, September 19, 2008
The visit to Monticello, the home and gravesite of Thomas Jefferson, was a tour of the house he took 40 years to build or rebuild as he obtained new ideas.
The preservation of this ground and building after 200 years with a lot of the original furnishings and some books is a credit again to the people that take on this mammoth task to preserve history.
We learnt a lot more about this man on the tour, his penmanship in writing the Declaration of Independence, to his ownership of slaves, yet was an advocate of abolishing the slave system, before it became a "popular" ideal.
We enjoyed the tour of the house he designed and built, a guide described the rooms, furnishings and the purpose of each room. The man was ahead of his time with the way he embraced gadgets, as well as use of skylights and space
The Vegie gardens
.We were able to wander the gardens that have been recreated, as best can be ascertained, and the slave quarters under the house in the kitchen, as well as view the stables and the deck areas.
The views from this house on the hilltop were expansive and obviously commanded a 360 degree view when the trees were not obstructing the outlook.
We walked along the Mulberry Row where his Slaves and workshops had been quartered, overlooking the vegetable gardens that had supplied the food for the slaves and the household.
Jefferson Died in the house 50 years to the day, of the declaration of independence, (of which he was the author) and is buried in the grounds of his farm.
He died bankrupt, (in debt up to $2million, a substantial sum for 1826,) it took his family 40 years to repay the debt. They were forced to sell the property, house and everything within. The family that purchased the house went about attempting to restore or save it as best they were able, in recognition and respect for Jefferson.
It is now in the hands of a Jefferson trust, put together by descendents of Jefferson family, to attempt to preserve the property and restore it back to the original.
A job well in hand, and well done, thankyou Alan (Karisue's Manager) for suggesting this visit.
