Jefferson’s Gravesite

Each year, hundreds of thousands of people visit Thomas Jefferson's grave in the Monticello cemetery, which is marked by an obelisk based on his own design.

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Before his death, Thomas Jefferson left explicit instructions regarding the monument to be erected over his grave.

In this undated document, Jefferson supplied a sketch of the shape of the marker, and the epitaph with which he wanted it to be inscribed:

"... on the faces of the Obelisk the following inscription, & not a word more:

Here was buried
Thomas Jefferson
Author of the Declaration of American Independence
of the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom
& Father of the University of Virginia

"because by these," he explained, "as testimonials that I have lived, I wish most to be remembered."

The Obelisk is located in the Monticello Graveyard, which is owned and operated by the Monticello Association.

Jefferson's Obelisk Gravestone and His Three Greatest Achievements