1827 Slave Auction on Monticello's West Lawn
In mid-January 1827, nearly 100 people were sold during a five-day auction held on Monticello's West Lawn.
Monticello's West Lawn, which features the "Nickel View" of the house, is an icon of American landscapes.
A winding gravel walk defines the perimeter of the level, oval-shaped West Lawn. The "smooth, level" lawn was a favorite playground for the children. The lawn was probably scythed once or twice a year and grazed by sheep. Its appearance inevitably reflected the uneven, pre-lawn mower appearance of lawns in the early nineteenth century.
Monticello's West Lawn
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The West Lawn and West Front of Monticello today.
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The West Lawn and Fish Pond at Dusk (Photo: Bill Bergen)
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This 1825 watercolor by Jane Braddick Peticolas shows Jefferson's grandchildren enjoying the West Lawn.
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The West Front of Monticello was first featured on the U.S. Nickel in 1938.
Edmund Bacon, a Monticello overseer, was instructed in 1808 to manure the "grass grounds" around the house. Instead, he mistakenly covered the lawn with a heavy covering of charcoal.
