A couple of years ago, while I was on my way up to a meeting at Monticello, I was walking by one of my favorite blooming trees, the Mimosa Tree, and saw a woman lying on her back motionless with her eyes closed. It was one of those moments when your first thought is to worry about the person’s health, but you first voice your concern in an innocuous manner. “It’s an amazing smell,” I announced as I passed to see if she would respond. more »
Although Jefferson was often suspicious of banks, we do not believe that quotation can be attributed to him. Check out this article about the veracity of this quotation researched and written by the good folks at our Jefferson Library -...more »
Scott,
I think it's pretty clear that this research firmly establishes that Jefferson did write at least part (perhaps the most important part) of the quotation attributed to him. That it was not ultimately adopted in the Virginia Constitution is not a coverup, any more than the the...more »
The Abbé José Correia da Serra did indeed stay in this room during his visits to Monticello. Here's a page about the room from our Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia. The room has been painted yellow since this photo...more »
Michael,
I'm sure you'll get a more direct response soon. But in the meantime, check out this blog post from our Research Librarian Anna Berkes:
Hunting the Wily Jefferson...more »
An iPad or other tablet for quick communication and reference and a Kindle or a Nook for longer reading sessions. I think for his desktop, though, he would choose a linux machine (with dual screens) -- all that free and open-source software would appeal to the tinkerer in him and to his...more »
Do you mean Jefferson's Wheel Cipher? None from Jefferson's day exists. There's only his description of it -- the earliest known, to date -- which is located at the Library of Congress. Here' the link to the image: http://1.usa....more »
To find out more about how Jefferson acquired his slaves and where they came from check out our Slavery FAQ.
Hope this helps. If you need a more detailed response,...more »
Generally, April is tulip month here. But I just heard from our Curator of Plants that ‘Duc van Tol Max Cramoisi’ Tulip (Tulipa gesnerana introduced circa 1700) is up. more »
Want to know how much scholarship Monticello has supported in the past decade and a half? Nothing says it quite so well image. Click on a the markers to see who's been a fellow at our International Center for Jefferson Studies and what subject they were studying.more »
This a gorgeous map and so full of detail for the time. No wonder the Spanish government wanted to keep it secret. Check out the link under "Further Sources" to see an image of the map in the David Rumsey Collection online.more »
Years ago, Jay Boehm, a former guide, made a presentation called, "Thomas Jefferson, smuggler." His talk included this episode as well as Jefferson's storied attempts to get a decent copy of a map of South America and a copy of Hernan Cortez's published letters. So wish we'd recorded...more »
What's so great about this article is how it conveys the original buzz around this event. I love Jefferson's qualms about accepting this unexpected, odd, and probably burdensome gift without paying for it as well as the slight delivered by the cheese's presenter when he stated it was made "...more »
A small but telling detail about Jefferson that he would use old socks -- and ones that bore his initials no less -- as insulation for a garment that was altered to keep up with changes in fashion.more »
It's thanks to Jefferson's training as a surveyor and this sophisticated and beautiful device that we have so many wonderful maps and plats of the Monticello Plantation. (Well, to be precise the Massachusetts Historical Society has them.)more »
In his 1996 book on the history of cryptology, The Codebreakers, David Kahn wrote "Jefferson's wheel cypher was far and away the most advanced [cipher] of its day." This online version was created by graduate students in Prof. David Evans's cryptology class at UVA. While...more »
This is one of the oldest sections of the website and was developed for its initial launch in 1996. It's still one of the best ways to get an overview of Jefferson and his life at Monticello. In case you're interested, here's an archived version of the first monticello.org...more »
Just a day or two after launching this project, I sat next to a woman on one of our shuttle buses and noticed she was holding a print out of In Bloom at Monticello. "I've never seen anything like it," she said when I asked her about it. It was one of my earliest projects as webmaster here and...more »
Of the features created for the exhibitions in the Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center, this is about my favorite. I love its quirky and humor and its Monty-Pythonese animation. Jefferson's habit of recording so many things is one for which many scholars have been profoundly grateful. And...more »
It's not that quotes get mistakenly attributed to Jefferson that fascinates me so much as the types of quotes that do and how, in a couple of cases, the quotes already have great pedigrees. For instance, the "That government is best which governs least" is by Henry David Thoreau...more »
I worked on this photoshoot in 1997. Laurence Bartone, a photographer who was working for Apple at the time, was very interested in making a QuickTime movie of this object. As he and I were discussing why we couldn't operate such a delicate and priceless objects, a member of our...more »
Scant can also mean insufficient or inadequately supplied.more »
Although Jefferson was often suspicious of banks, we do not believe that quotation can be attributed to him. Check out this article about the veracity of this quotation researched and written by the good folks at our Jefferson Library -...more »
Scott, I think it's pretty clear that this research firmly establishes that Jefferson did write at least part (perhaps the most important part) of the quotation attributed to him. That it was not ultimately adopted in the Virginia Constitution is not a coverup, any more than the the...more »
Carol, Here's the page for the Polygraph: http://www.monticello.org/images/media/polygraph.mov And here's the Monticello Explorer, which I think your...more »
Tom, Can you let us know which image you're looking at? Chadmore »
Emily, Our children's book club recently read that book and loved it. Here's their review: http://bit.ly/TvY9iA.more »
The Abbé José Correia da Serra did indeed stay in this room during his visits to Monticello. Here's a page about the room from our Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia. The room has been painted yellow since this photo...more »
The results of the 2012 Holiday Classic 5K are now online!more »
Looks like there's a good excerpt from the poem on this page: http://www.common-place.org/vol-08/no-04/sexton/more »
Michael, I'm sure you'll get a more direct response soon. But in the meantime, check out this blog post from our Research Librarian Anna Berkes: Hunting the Wily Jefferson...more »
Thanks, Bud! We'll post a link to these on our Facebook page.more »
An iPad or other tablet for quick communication and reference and a Kindle or a Nook for longer reading sessions. I think for his desktop, though, he would choose a linux machine (with dual screens) -- all that free and open-source software would appeal to the tinkerer in him and to his...more »
Do you mean Jefferson's Wheel Cipher? None from Jefferson's day exists. There's only his description of it -- the earliest known, to date -- which is located at the Library of Congress. Here' the link to the image: http://1.usa....more »
Apologies, Joe. You can find the quote here.more »
The Heritage Harvest Festival is starting today with the pre-festival workshops!more »
Any suggestions for what sauces to accent?more »
To find out more about how Jefferson acquired his slaves and where they came from check out our Slavery FAQ. Hope this helps. If you need a more detailed response,...more »
We've got a brief report on Jefferon's copy of the Qur'an in our Jefferson Encyclopedia.more »
Quick update: The Mimosa Tree is in bloom in two locations at Monticello. Look for one in a neighborhood near you!more »
A few more related articles: The Levy Family and Monticello Benjamin Ficklin ...more »
According to our curator of plants, the lilacs seem to be doing fine and are starting to bloom now. more »
Our Curator of Plants and our Director of Gardens and Grounds both tell me the trees are Chinaberries (Melia azedarach).more »
Generally, April is tulip month here. But I just heard from our Curator of Plants that ‘Duc van Tol Max Cramoisi’ Tulip (Tulipa gesnerana introduced circa 1700) is up. more »
See the Jenny in action in this video. Thanks to Charles Morrill for posting this link on another comment.more »
I've got three apple trees from these workshops growing in my yard. Tom's a great teacher and a wealth of apple knowledge.more »
Want to know how much scholarship Monticello has supported in the past decade and a half? Nothing says it quite so well image. Click on a the markers to see who's been a fellow at our International Center for Jefferson Studies and what subject they were studying.more »
One of the best speeches I've heard at Monticello. Alda was funny, charming, and earnest. He'd done his homework, but kept it personal.more »
Hopefully, there will be a lot more of these quotes about Jefferson as the century wears on. The speech by Sam Waterston was wonderful.more »
This a gorgeous map and so full of detail for the time. No wonder the Spanish government wanted to keep it secret. Check out the link under "Further Sources" to see an image of the map in the David Rumsey Collection online.more »
Years ago, Jay Boehm, a former guide, made a presentation called, "Thomas Jefferson, smuggler." His talk included this episode as well as Jefferson's storied attempts to get a decent copy of a map of South America and a copy of Hernan Cortez's published letters. So wish we'd recorded...more »
What's so great about this article is how it conveys the original buzz around this event. I love Jefferson's qualms about accepting this unexpected, odd, and probably burdensome gift without paying for it as well as the slight delivered by the cheese's presenter when he stated it was made "...more »
A small but telling detail about Jefferson that he would use old socks -- and ones that bore his initials no less -- as insulation for a garment that was altered to keep up with changes in fashion.more »
Such a simple device, but so much fun to look at.more »
It's thanks to Jefferson's training as a surveyor and this sophisticated and beautiful device that we have so many wonderful maps and plats of the Monticello Plantation. (Well, to be precise the Massachusetts Historical Society has them.)more »
In his 1996 book on the history of cryptology, The Codebreakers, David Kahn wrote "Jefferson's wheel cypher was far and away the most advanced [cipher] of its day." This online version was created by graduate students in Prof. David Evans's cryptology class at UVA. While...more »
This is one of the oldest sections of the website and was developed for its initial launch in 1996. It's still one of the best ways to get an overview of Jefferson and his life at Monticello. In case you're interested, here's an archived version of the first monticello.org...more »
Just a day or two after launching this project, I sat next to a woman on one of our shuttle buses and noticed she was holding a print out of In Bloom at Monticello. "I've never seen anything like it," she said when I asked her about it. It was one of my earliest projects as webmaster here and...more »
Of the features created for the exhibitions in the Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center, this is about my favorite. I love its quirky and humor and its Monty-Pythonese animation. Jefferson's habit of recording so many things is one for which many scholars have been profoundly grateful. And...more »
It's not that quotes get mistakenly attributed to Jefferson that fascinates me so much as the types of quotes that do and how, in a couple of cases, the quotes already have great pedigrees. For instance, the "That government is best which governs least" is by Henry David Thoreau...more »
I worked on this photoshoot in 1997. Laurence Bartone, a photographer who was working for Apple at the time, was very interested in making a QuickTime movie of this object. As he and I were discussing why we couldn't operate such a delicate and priceless objects, a member of our...more »