Unfortunately it's been a bizarre week for us here (hence the dearth of blog entries), but I did want to highlight our new exhibit, which is singularly appropriate for Mothers' Day.  It features Lucy Meriwether Lewis Marks, mother of Meriwether Lewis.  Lucy was a healer/midwife/doctor person who taught her medicinal skills to her famous son.  This, of course, was slightly handy on his cross-country expedition.  Drawings of various medicinal plants that Lucy may have used, among other things, are on view in our new exhibition.  And if

Our unofficial motto here at the Jefferson Library is "A Good Place to Eat," so it seems highly appropriate that this week we are hosting a lecture on food (at which there will also be food, or so I'm told - I hope that means fried things!):

Today was the grand opening of the new Monticello Visitor Center & Smith Education Center, and we are sooooooo tired right now.  It was a full-on, no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners, pedal-to-the-medal extravaganza, with a fife and drum corps, a gospel choir, the municipal band, Miss Virginia, radio stations broadcasting live, famous speakers, ribbon-cuttings, unveilings, pony rides, and I think a delegate from the state legislature.  (Just kidding about the pony rides.  That would have been totally awesome, though.)  Despite the cold

The Bradford pear trees are blooming this week (at least I think they're Bradford pear trees, but I have been known to misidentify plants), and for once on the first official day of the season it actually seems like said season.  Just in time for all this, there's a new book from the University of Virginia Press: Historic Virginia Gardens: Preservation Wo

Helen Cripe, who wrote The Book on Jefferson and all things music, has been hanging out with us at the library for the last month, which has been pretty cool.  She's been working on re-configuring her magnum opus into the next Monticello Monograph.  (Personally, I've been getting a big kick out of seeing the look on people's faces when they come in looking for Helen's book and I get to say, "oh hey, she's sitting right over there!")  Before she bids us farewell, she'll be givi

From our Director of Adult Education:

Thought our loyal readers might be interested in some other Jefferson-related events coming up soon:

September 13, 2008
Accuracy and Elegance: How Fry and Jefferson Made a Better map of Virginia
Library of Virginia, Richmond, VA

Annette Gordon-Reed discusses a tricky question in the latest American Heritage magazine (vol. 58 no. 5, Fall 2008): "Did Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson Love Each Other?  A Historian Tackles One of American History's Thorniest Questions".  Don't worry, I won't give away the ending, but Gordon-Reed brings up some intriguing facts and makes some thought-provoking observations.