"because by these, as testimonials that I have lived, I wish most to be remembered." - Thomas Jefferson, undated, Design for Tombstone and Inscription.
Keeping the Monticello mountain supplied with fresh water was a constant struggle. Guides Charles Morrill and Grace Klonoski describe the various solutions Jefferson employed to collect and store water as well as the recreation of a period water pump for one of the house's cisterns.
In mid-September 1817, Thomas Jefferson was preparing to leave Poplar Forest and return home to Monticello, but he had a few errands to run first. He set off for Lynchburg, roughly a dozen miles to the northeast, where he visited the shop of James Newhall. The thirty-five-year-old Newhall was a...
Derek Baxter is a guest blogger and Monticello enthusiast who attended the British Invasion, 1781 event on June 18, 2016. Learn about his experience and mark your calendars for June 3-4, 2017. The first clue that this was not going to be an ordinary day at Monticello was the two armed Redcoats...
Designed by Thomas Jefferson, executed by Louis Chantrot. If the Great Clock in the Hall was the most important public clock at Monticello, the Obelisk Clock was Jefferson's most important private one. Jefferson used the tall, pyramid-like shape of the ancient obelisk for a new clock that was...
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Annette Gordon-Reed and leading Jefferson scholar Peter Onuf discuss their new book, “Most Blessed of the Patriarchs”: Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of Imagination during the national launch of their book at Monticello. From April 19, 2016.
One of the emotional insights of the hit musical Hamilton is its portrayal of the passionate friendship between the protagonist and his brilliant, self-assured sister-in-law—Angelica Schuyler Church. What the show doesn't mention is that Church also pursued a long-term friendship with one of...
Happy Birthday, Garden Book! On March 30, 1766, Jefferson wrote, "Purple hyacinths begin to bloom" at Shadwell, initiating a 50-year journal of his gardening hopes, observations, successes and failures. Monticello's Curator of Plants, Peggy Cornett, and Monticello guide Bill Bergen introduce this...
The Chinese-inspired railings around Monticello’s terraces date to ca. 1940. After almost 80 years the elaborate wooden panels have weathered to the point where repairs are no longer feasible. While the existing railings will be missed, the project is an exciting opportunity to accurately...
This year’s Mandela Washington Fellows have officially arrived on the grounds at Monticello. The 25 young, bright African leaders arrived early yesterday morning. Their first stop at Monticello: a tour of the house! The Fellows eagerly listened as they were guided through the house by Mr. Ed Imhoff...
