Kristie Smeltzer
Monticello Staff
Manager of Visitor Evaluation and Correspondence
Guide
Charlottesville, Virginia
About Me
I have worked at Monticello for just over two years, and I still haven't gotten over the idea of tromping about where Thomas Jefferson did. My background isn't in history, but I have always loved historical and cultural sites, which began during family vacations to St. Augustine as a girl. My education is in English, and perhaps my greatest passion is writing. Hence my zeal for blogging. I am often very silly, and occasionally show no self control whatsoever and giggle incessantly.
This letter is really interesting. Visitors often inquire about Jefferson's debt--how he came to have it, ways he earned money, etc.--and this post and letter do a fine job of providing some information about that aspect of Jefferson's life. more »
I know this isn't the most original, but I adore the fragrance of lilacs. The scent takes me back to childhood memories of spring. On the mountaintop, we've got lilacs on the east lawn and near the head of the trail down to the family gravesite. I'm sure there are others, too. According to...more »
I wanted to point out some resources available on our website regarding research conducted by Thomas Jefferson Foundation staff members about the Jefferson-Hemings relationship as well as a page with access to several resources on the topic. I share these in case you have not seen them and...more »
Kudos, Gabriele! Well deserved!more »
Great pictures!more »
I think you might be referring to the perspective glass in the Parlor. Here's a link to a page about the perspective glass. This article has a picture, so you can compare it to your inherited antique....more »
So true, Kirk. As Ann Lucas Birle mentioned on the Today Show, it's really interesting that this set of books contains some that Jefferson repurchased, like his Palladio, after selling earlier copies he owned to the Library of Congress. You may already know this, but Jefferson read in 7...more »
Thanks for cooking this, Leni. That's the perfect cauliflower serving platter. Does the salt soak and salt in the water when boiling result in a noticeable taste difference? My family recipes usually require boiling our veggies to death, and occasionally a bath in cream sauce...more »
A beautiful and very interesting project, Charles. What you say about the way you better understand things through building them--"For me it helps to make it, hack it, and see how it runs backwards"--reminds me of Jefferson's tinkering with his polygraph and sending notes to Peale. Great minds...more »
A student letter to Monticello (sent after a class visit) called the "small spinning and weaving establishment" the weavery, which I just loved. We often talk about enslaved boys working in the nailery. Wouldn't it logically follow, then, that the women and girls would have been weaving in the...more »
The portholes led to the place where Jefferson's dreams lived. Needless to say, it was an interesting place. (Though not true, my falsehood is more fun than the closet reality)more »
So true, Katy! I read these letters and also thought of Pride and Prejudice. And Little Women. I am most often drawn to the stories of the *other* sister. Thanks to Lisa for sharing these. more »
Mr. Means, from Jodi's comments what it sounds like you really need is one or more curatorial assistants. more »
I really think it is interesting to look at so many quotes together that describe Jefferson's thinking about slavery, slaves, and emancipation. Jefferson saw that emancipation would not be simple and that the system of slavery had purposefully denied slaves the means to be independent. ...more »
This is a great resource for folks interested in slavery specifically at Monticello as well as Jefferson's thoughts about the institution of slavery and some of his practices as a slave owner. People often ask if Jefferson was a "good" or "kind" slave owner; this question opens the door to a...more »
I always wish, when I explain this to folks, that the O.S. stood for Old School instead of Old Style. How funny would that be? Thomas Jefferson, kicking it old school. I think Jefferson and others alive around the calendar change should have gotten to celebrate their birthday twice every year...more »
Professor Plum was killed in the Billiard/Dome Room with a horrendously fallacious myth... more »
Great line of questions, Nathaniel. I'm not really sure. I was using a slightly dampened Magic Eraser, but I ended up more sanding off the dirty layer than actually cleaning any dirt off. Plus this is just a plaster replica, so the pressure to preserve wasn't terribly intense. I've sent an...more »
This image of the dome room is wicked awesome! Amazing to learn a bit about how Monticello Explorer came to be. Thanks to you, Chad, the man with the S-shaped face. more »
Since little remains of the structures that once lined Mulberry Row, it's a challenge to imagine it as the hub of industry on Jefferson's little mountain. This page has links to information about several types of work that occurred at the Monticello plantation.more »
This resource is wonderful, especially for those who live in Charlottesville or nearby, for upcoming events at Monticello. For folks who are interested in Jefferson, Monticello, gardening, slave life, and myriad other topics, the calendar of events provides information on different programs...more »
This past weekend, I was able to see both the original Declaration of Independence and the portable writing desk that Jefferson drafted the DoI on. Astounding! Jefferson's sense of his legacy and what we as Americans would come to value is really amazing. Seeing that desk now, over 200...more »
Just saw the original Declaration this weekend at the National Archives in D.C. I still get chills just thinking about how amazing that is. I feel really fortunate to be in a country where such artifacts of our nation's birth are available for the people to see. Amazing!more »
I got stumped by a visitor with a question about the O.S. when I first started at Monticello. I think if I were TJ, I'd have celebrated both birthdays.more »
I find this information about Jefferson's lack of aptitude as an orator intriguing! I don't know where I got this idea, but I always believed Jefferson to be a great public speaker as well as a great writer. I presume from first person accounts that Jefferson could be eloquent and...more »
Monticello has a wine cellar and wine dumbwaiters. Jefferson tried to introduce wine grapes to Virginia. Need I say more?more »
A colleague made us a batch of Jefferson's ice cream, and it was unbelievably delicious. For a tasty history lesson, perhaps give TJ's ice cream recipe a try.more »
The Ice House is popular with visitors, often capturing their interest. I like that this article sheds like on just how big of an endeavor it was to get the ice house filled up. Also, I like that this article mentions the American love of ice in our drinks. I backpacked in Europe for 6-weeks...more »
Yankee doodle went to town, a-riding on a pony, stuck a feather in his hat, and called it ....more »
While Thomas Jefferson did not invent or solely introduce macaroni and cheese to the U.S., he did serve it at the President's House. Imagine how much mac-n-cheese could be made from a cheese such as this! Sadly, the papers did not report on any macaroni-makers rising to the occasion....more »
Produce from the terrace vegetable garden is occasionallly given to staff members or sold to the Cafe at Monticello. I tell you, the first time our wonderful gardeners shared some fresh carrots from the veggie garden, I felt like I met real carrots for the first time. All those strange store-...more »
Jefferson threw a pea harvesting contest to spare his neighbor's feeleings. I love this story: I often mention it in the dining room. The quote from Jefferson in this article is great.more »
This page has interesting information about several of the Hemings family members. I find myself drawn to John Hemmings (he spelled his name with two Ms). I think part of my sense of connection to John Hemmings is that we have furniture at Monticello we believe to have been made at the...more »
The perspective glass in Monticello's parlor is something visitors often ask about.more »
One of the things I love about being in the house at Monticello is getting a good close look at some of the portraits of Jefferson. The Gilbert Stuart portrait pictured in this article (The Edgehill) intrigues me. I think I like it. It does bear a resemblence to the Mona Lisa, which feels a...more »
Jefferson and the Politicians of the Round Table!more »
I think this model is one of the most often missed gems for visitors. The model provides a context for exactly how much land Jefferson held, what its uses were, and how Monticello fit into the larger plantation. I think this model is a must-see for visitors before they go up to the mountaintop...more »
This page is a great resource for folks interested in a concise resource about Sally Hemmings. Often while giving tours, people ask if Sally Hemmings was freed by Jefferson in his will or by his family afterwards. Though she wasn't legally freed, this article explains that she was given...more »
This phenomenon (of folks throwing coins on Jefferson's grave) always strikes me as strange. Sure, the allure of throwing change into fountains and pools of water--I get that. It's like some ingrained social response begun by the Romans that we'll never be able to shake. But...more »
This page has helpful advice about how to get to Monticello. Perhaps the most important item on this page is the physical address GPS-users must enter to find Monticello. I shared an office for a while with the person answering Monticello's main telephone line, and the address needed for...more »
Anything that espouses comfortable footwear is alright by me! This list of insider tips is a great resource for visitors to Monticello, especially if they haven't been here before or in a while (since, say, our fabulous new visitor center opened in April 2009).more »
Jefferson's spectacles are one of my favorite objects from the vitrine in his bedchamber. I love them because he went to the trouble to design them, and they look exactly like the picture he drew. Also, the idea of all he must have read with those on intrigues me. Windows to an amazing...more »
The Dome Room at Monticello is fantastic for many reasons. Up there, the "cuddy" where some of Jefferson's granddaughters used to hide away for some privacy is one of my favorite parts of that space. When I first heard about the granddaughters setting up camp in the cuddy, I...more »
Children and adults visiting Monticello often become intrigued in the entrance hall by the fossilized upper and lower jawbones of an adolescent American mastodon on display there. Jefferson had hoped that Lewis and Clark might find a mastodon still romping about in the American west, and he...more »
I spend alot of time at Monticello imagining Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson's wife died after they'd been married only 10 years. She was young, had already been widowed, and spent the majority of her marriage to Jefferson ill. Five of her children died during her...more »
Visitors to Monticello are often intrigued by the Great Clock in the entrance hall. I love thinking that when we hear the gong sound, we're sharing an experience with Jefferson and the other members of the Monticello community during his lifetime.more »
Everyone wants to know how people in Jefferson's time went to the restroom. Okay, maybe not everyone. But the question does come up on Monticello house tours.more »
Thomas Jefferson's love of books illustrates his love of reason and lifelong learning. It's amazing to me that he would sell his books and almost immediately begin buying new books, even while in debt. But that is something I think many of us would do. There's a wonderful...more »
It is amazing, given the Monticello's long history, that the house survived at all, let alone that so much of the structure is original.more »
When doing house tours at Monticello, I enjoy pointing out the silhouettes (mostly reproductions) of Jefferson's grandchildren in the South Square Room and then directing visitors to those of Native American chiefs in Jefferson's book room.more »
The information about reproductions of the American Declaration of Independence is interesting. This article doesn't mention it, but Binns sent a copy to Adams, who returned it, allegedly put off that his picture did not appear on it. What I wouldn't give to see an actual draft of...more »
The information about reproductions of the American Declaration of Independence is interesting. This article doesn't mention it, but Binns sent a copy to Adams, who returned it, allegedly put off that his pictuer did not appear on it. What I wouldn't give to see an actual draft of...more »
Interesting information about Uriah P. Levy and his family--longtime stewards of Monticello.more »
Another of my favorite underrated rooms in the Monticello house.more »
Jefferson enjoyed gadgets and incorporated many into his design at Monticello. The dining room is a wonderful place to talk about gadgets and Jefferson's use of innovation for convenience and comfort. The wine cellar and wine dumbwaiter have recently been restored. And in the...more »
My family is Italian, so the word food is sometimes synonymous with love. When doing house tours at Monticello, I feel I am not always able to capture the lively event dining must have been. When I was growing up, my Nana would have my extended family--all my aunts, uncles, and cousins--come...more »
This oral history project provides a wealth of information about the lives of enslaved people at Monticello and what happened to those families after Jefferson's death and later after they were emancipated.more »
I read Isaac Jefferson's interview from 1847 and found it so interesting to access a voice from the enslaved community at Monticello. I've since been interested in finding other first person narratives (or interviews) from those who had been enslaved--at Monticello and elsewhere. We...more »
I like this resource for its multiple first-person descriptions of Jefferson. When visiting Monticello or reading about Jefferson, it's easy to sometimes lose the sense of the man himself.more »
If I suddenly become rediculously wealthy and build a house on a mountaintop, the idea of the Garden Pavilion is the first I'm stealing.more »
This room is one of my favorites at Monticello. As part of my job, I sometimes give Monticello house tours. This room is one that I always have trouble leaving with the groups--I want to share everything I know about it! For me this room represents a family hub in the house. The South...more »
Jefferson was such a meticulous record keeper and really had an eye to his legacy, so there is so much we have primary information about. The eagle on the ceiling in Monticello's entrance hall is a bit of a mystery, though.more »
Love this resource. Someone stopped me at Monticello the other day and asked what the home's square footage was without the attached workspaces. I confess, such numbers do not remain in my noggin long. I should just memorize this URL!more »
This timeline is a wonderful resource to see how events in Jefferson's public life parallel those in his private life. When I first saw this, I was struck how during many significant times in Jefferson's public life that he was also dealing with personal troubles. The man endured a...more »
Jefferson is quoted in this article saying he could not live without the polygraph, which makes me laugh because of the very famous quote he wrote in a letter to John Adams that he couldn't live without books. So Jefferson's list of items, if he were going to be marooned on a desert...more »
This page is a great resource to find Jefferson quotes -- sorted into helpful categories -- in one place. Too, since the Jefferson Encyclopedia is associated with the Jefferson Library, the accuracy and authenticity of the quotes is confirmed.more »
I like this page because it describes typical daily activities for Jefferson. And it has a picture of the ivory notebooks Jefferson kept on hand for notetaking. Also, it has an illustration for the clothes horse, which is something visitors ask about often and that is hard to explain easily....more »