Linnea Grim
Monticello Staff
Hunter J. Smith Director of Education and Visitor Programs
Charlottesville, VA
Interests
About Me
As the Hunter J. Smith Director of Education and Visitor Programs at Monticello, I'm honored to lead a department of approximately 75 passionate and dedicated managers and tour guides who interact with over 450,000 visitors every year. We have the opportunity to get people talking about Jefferson's ideas and challenges. We hope to foster a safe environment for everyone to think about and be inspired by the ideas that helped create the United States.
Interested in a 2012 internships? We'll have information soon at this link, http://www.monticello.org/site/about/internships-monticello. Samantha...more »
Food is something to which we all relate. Since joining the staff of Monticello, I have been surprised by the similarities and differences in how we think about food and gardening today compared to those who lived at Monticello in Jefferson's era. This weekend's Mulberry Row program is set to be...more »
As a student on field trips to local historic sites, I was always struck by the smell of boxwoods. In thinking about pleasant smells, I'm also reminded of when chef Walter Staib used Monticello's historic kitchen a couple summers ago. The aromas his cooking created helped evoke the sense of...more »
Voting Results from Home Educators' Day! Thanks to all the home schoolers who voted on which of the gadgets that Jefferson used they thought was most useful. And the winner... drum roll, please... was the orrery (an atronomical model)! Here's the way the voting turned out: Orrery...more »
Bob - Interesting blog post! Visitors often wonder how much of the house is original. Based on this post, I'm assume most, if not all, of the guttae are. How have they been conserved outdoors?more »
Since Jefferson's famous line about refreshing the tree of liberty with the blood of patriots and tyrants has been in the news, I found it thought-provoking to read the quote in context. In some ways seeing the context makes it even more challenging to contemplate its relevance today. What do...more »
A great question from SusanMarie regarding Jefferson's birth date. April 2 is Jefferson's birthday according to the Julian calendar. England and her colonies switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian one in 1752 when Jefferson was 9 years old. The change necessitated "skipping" over 11...more »
Great blog post, Anna! Having worked at the Supreme Court, I always enjoy times when Monticello and Court history connect. I'm not sure about billiards, but I think we have the documentary evidence to know Chief Justice Marshall enjoyed playing quoits.more »
So many things remind me why I'm fortunate to be a public historian working at Monticello. Today, I'm thankful for the rich primary source references we have for nearly every space at Monticello. Nothing helps us to bring alive the rooms for our guests more than the objects and these references...more »
Some of our favorite pictures from the Mountaintop Activity Center... http://www.flickr.com/photos/mammatoni/2802495442/ and...more »
I couldn't agree more with Liz's comment below. We hear time and again what a wonderful experience families have on these tours.more »
We also have a chamber pot in our wintertime education station at the Mountaintop Museum Shop. My first thought when I looked at this morning... Where's the chocolate?more »
Since so many of these podcasts are outstanding, it's difficult to highlight just a few. Some of my favorites include the series on music and the ones in which Bill Barker, our esteemed friend who portrays Thomas Jefferson at Colonial Williamsburg, reads Jefferson's letters.more »
One of my favorite parodies of Jefferson was on the television show "30 Rock" a couple of years ago. Tracy Morgan is pitching a movie about Jefferson in which he plays all the characters. In this particular clip, Jefferson is defined as an inventor. 30 Rock writers understand how...more »
Hands down the best event at Monticello each year is on July 4 when dozens of people from countries all over the globe become U.S. citizens. As an educator, I am responsible for explaining why history should matter to learners of all ages. There are days when I wish I could take everyone who is...more »
Whenever I'm giving a tour in the house, I will ask my group, "Is the name Sally Hemings familiar to you?" Inevitably, there is a mixed reaction - some nods, some startled looks ("Is she really going to talk about Sally Hemings?"), and some curious stares. Regardless,...more »
Undoubtedly sometime in our lives we hear someone begin a phrase, "Well, as Thomas Jefferson once said..." We typically go about our lives without wondering is that something that Thomas Jefferson actually said or wrote. Monticello's librarians, however, have taken on the task of...more »
This fantastic resource is a boon for gardeners and those interested in plants at Monticello. As someone who has never had a green thumb, I ofter turn to the "In Bloom" page to help answer visitors' questions. Perhaps one day, Jefferson's interest in gardening will spark my own....more »
On the one hand, Jefferson's and Adam's relationship is easy to grasp. How many of us know what it's like to have a good friend, become estranged, and then reconcile? On the other, it's hard to imagine writing with a friend knowing that your correspondence embodies the hopes...more »
Jefferson's cabinet - or study - is probably one of the most interesting rooms in any historic house in the United States. Nearly every element of the room speaks to Jefferson's unlimited curiosity and dedication to improving the human condition. Because of the layout of Jefferson...more »
Even as a staff member, I am continually blown away by the amount of accessible information that the Thomas Jefferson Foundation has on the website related to Jefferson's world. The Jefferson encyclopedia is a treasure trove. Try clicking "Random Page" under the Navigation bar,...more »
For decades visitors have wished to tour the second and third floors at Monticello. We are thrilled that we can now take two small groups upstairs twice everyday and share what happened behind the scenes in Jefferson's day and what's going on behind them now in our efforts to preserve...more »