A Statement by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation The issue of Jefferson’s paternity has been the subject of controversy for at least two centuries, ranging from contemporary newspaper articles in 1802 (when Jefferson was President) to scholarly debate well into the 1990s. It is now the Thomas...
Monticello is one of the most beautiful and recognizable houses in America. It’s elegant and harmonious, and it was revolutionary for American architecture at the time. If you ever need a quick reminder of its features, just fish a nickel out of your pocket. So, when I saw a listing for a...
Jefferson described the Polygraph as "the finest invention of the present age." Monticello guide Charles Morrill, who's been working on reproductions of various versions of the Polygraphs Jefferson owned, describes the device's importance to Jefferson. Polygraph appears courtesy the University of...
Fear of separation from loved ones was one of the great underlying terrors of slavery. Today we hear the story of a fight that broke out between two enslaved teenagers working in Monticello's Nailery and the dire consequences that followed.
Several visitors to Monticello remarked on Thomas Jefferson's willingness to tell of his first-hand experiences in shaping the new country. A copy of Asher B. Durand's engraving of John Trumbull's masterpiece "The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, July 4th, 1776" which...
The Entablature on the mantel above the fireplace in Jefferson's bed Chamber matches the room's entablature except for one unusual (and non-canonical) detail: the acorn decorations between the dentils.
Apples of many varieties were cultivated in Jefferson’s Virginia. The fruit was used to make pies, preserves, and other foodstuffs, of course, but in Jefferson’s time apples were especially valued for the making of cider.
With "a greater eye to convenience," Jefferson employed a number of mechanical gadgets at Monticello, including several different types of dumbwaiters.
