Encyclopedia
1796 Mutual Assurance Plat
A plat by Jefferson with detailed descriptions and sketches of the main house, South Pavilion, and structures along Mulberry Row.
Slavery
Articles on slavery at Monticello, Jefferson's ownership of slaves, and the enslaved people who lived and worked on his plantations.
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![Jefferson's sketch of Monticello and buildings along Mulberry with descriptions of each written out for insurance purposes, 1796. Labeled as N133; K136. Dimensions: 45.7 cm x 22.1 cm (18" x 8-11/16"). Original manuscript from the Coolidge Collection of Thomas Jefferson Manuscripts, Massachusetts Historical Society.]()
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![A photo of Ann Elizabeth Fossett Isaacs.]()
Ann-Elizabeth Fossett Isaacs
A look at the life of Ann Elizabeth Fossett Isaacs, the enslaved daughter of Joseph and Edith Fossett, who were able to purchase her freedom after Jefferson's death.
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![A pair of wooden (reproduction) beer barrels in one of Monticello's cellars.]()
Barnaby Gillette
An enslaved nailer and barrelmaker
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![Modern black-and-white map of Virgina by Rick Britton]()
Betsy Hemmings
Betsy Hemmings was an enslaved laborer at Monticello, the daughter of Mary Hemings Bell. Jefferson gave her to his daughter, Maria Jefferson Eppes, as a wedding gift.
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![A silhouette of two boys playing the violin.]()
Beverly Hemings
A brief look at the life Beverly Hemings, the oldest surviving son of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson.
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![Digital model of a Nailery (lighter colored building on the left) and Blacksmith's Shop (darker colored building on the right), both with simple, non-glass windows and large doors.]()
EncyclopediaBlacksmith's Shop
Workshop for blacksmithing and nail-making on Mulberry Row
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![Detail from "Blacksmith 1st Mass. Arty. Harrisons" by Alfred R. Waud, 1862; Library of Congress]()
EncyclopediaBlacksmithing
A critical trade and a useful skill at Monticello
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![Engraving of a Shoemaker and His Apprentice, 1807 (Library of Congress)]()
Buck
An enslaved shoemaker hired by Jefferson
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![A wide image of the wooded area surrounding the Burial Ground for Enslaved People at Monticello, showing the sites updated fencing and plantings from 2022.]()
ExhibitBurial Ground for Enslaved People
The site of several graves of enslaved African Americans at Monticello is a place to honor and reflect on the over 400 enslaved people who lived and labored at Monticello during Jefferson's lifetime.
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![A man and his daughter look at cutout life-sized depictions of a man and a woman in early 19th-century dress while another man looks at a cutout image of an enslaved boy carrying firewood and a bucket.]()
Burwell Colbert
Burwell Colbert was Monticello's enslaved Head Butler, responsible for the running of the Monticello household in Jefferson's retirement. One only five people freed in Jefferson's will, Colbert was the grandson of Elizabeth Hemings.
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![Digital model of the Carpenter's Shop, a wooden building with barn doors, shuttered windows, and an a-frame roof.]()
EncyclopediaCarpenter's Shop
Temporary workshop for basic woodworking that also served as short-term living quarters.
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![A engraving depiction of charcoal burning showing men working next to two conical mounds and two low mounds from which smoke is rising. Fabrication of Charcoal engraving from Encyclopédie Diderot D' Alembert 1751; courtesy Wikimedia Commons; Public Domain.]()
Cary
Enslaved Charcoal-burner and Nailer
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EncyclopediaCharcoal
A source of heat and power for Monticello and its forges
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EncyclopediaClothing for Monticello's Enslaved Community
Information on Jefferson's distribution of clothing to members of Monticello's enslaved community.
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![A small wooden building with an a-frame roof, a door, and no windows.]()
EncyclopediaCoal Sheds
Shed for storing charcoal
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![The names of people enslaved at Monticello cut into spaces in a corten steel wall so that they stand out from the light behind them.]()
ExhibitContemplative Site
A powerful, yet tranquil space to reflect upon lives and legacies of Monticello's enslaved African Americans.
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![A drawing of an a-frame building with a water whell on it's lower right sits next to a railroad track and ando ther building]()
EncyclopediaCoopering
Learn how barrelmaking (coopering) by enslaved workers at Monticello was a profitable source of income for Jefferson.
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![Cowrie shell excavated at Monticello]()
EncyclopediaCowrie Shell
Learn more about a cowrie shell found by Monticello archaeologists at an 18th-century home for enslaved workers living on Mulberry Row.
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![A small wood-and-daub, a-frame structure with a simple wooden door, two windows, and a chimney on one side.]()
Critta Hemings Bowles
A look at the life of Critta Hemings, an enslaved domestic servant at Monticello from about 1775 until 1827, when a Jefferson's grandson purchased her freedom.
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![Drawing of two women working with milk on opposite sides of a room lined with shelves holding bowls of various sizes and two small butter churns on the floor.]()
EncyclopediaDairying
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David Hern, Jr.
An enslaved nailer, blacksmith, charcoal-burner, and wagoner at Monticello
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![A view of Monticello's brightly lit, yellow-painted Dining Room with a table set for dinner in the center and a tall, three pane window to the right.]()
EncyclopediaDining Room
An overview of Monticello's Dining Room where Thomas Jefferson entertained guests with lively conversation, wine, and food served in "half French, half Virginian style."
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StoryDr. Kerri Greenidge on "The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family"
Award-winning historian Kerri Greenidge, discusses "The Grimkes" as part of Monticello's Pursuits of Knowledge series
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![A small a-frame clapboard structure with a simple wooden door, one window, and a chimney on one side.]()
EncyclopediaDwelling (MRS 2)
An unnamed log dwelling for the enslaved not listed in Jefferson's records.
