Beth Sawyer
Monticello Staff
Archaeological Analyst
Archaeology
Charlottesville, VA
My favorite is the bushes lining the stairs between the house and the Mountaintop Shop, near the privy vent tunnel. I think they're a type of holly and they get tiny white flowers in late April/early May that smell just heavenly.more »
This page has excellent information to answer the common visitor question, "So what happened to Monticello after Jefferson died?". In archaeology, we find plentiful evidence of these later stewards of Monticello.more »
Jefferson's riding boots, seen on this page, are one of my favorite objects on display in the house.more »
Including private correspondences as well as business and government writings, the Papers project is a huge undertaking that provides a fantastic tool for scholars and the public alike.more »
It's sometimes easy to forget that Monticello included more than just Jefferson's house. Mulberry Row is a clear reminder of the slaves who not only labored in Jefferson's home, but also worked in various industries to keep the plantation running. From shoeing horses to smoking...more »
This guided tour is a must-see for visitors in the spring through fall. The magnitude and beauty of Jefferson's landscaping and horticultural undertakings are revealed on this stroll through the gardens.more »
This charming room is guaranteed to be beautiful and fragrant year-round.more »
This is one of the most bright and cheerful rooms of the house, especially now with its new face-lift. The restoration of the room's paint to chrome-yellow is stunning. The table is newly set with green shell-edge pearlware, a ceramic pattern we find archaeologically across the mountain. It...more »
One of my favorite stops on the Garden Tour, the Grove is a lovely, natural, and peaceful asset to the Monticello gardens. I believe our gardening staff truly captures Jefferson's vision for this space as an ornamental forest.more »
One of my favorite parts of working at Monticello in the spring and summer is seeing the orchards every day. Snowy white apple blossoms and delicate pink cherry blossoms greet me on my way to the archaeology lab every day in the spring. In the summer, the apples, peaches, grapes, apricots, and...more »
One of the on-going projects of the archaeology department, the Mulberry Row Reassessment provides us with new insights into the lives of slaves at Monticello. Working on this project has given me a new appreciation for the people that lived and worked here beyond the Jefferson household.more »
As part of the Mulberry Row Reassessment Project, I recently worked on catalouging all the artifacts excavated from this iron-working complex on Mulberry Row. What struck me the most as we worked through the collection was the sheer quantity of iron recovered during excavation; in fact, we...more »