The Department of Archaeology is dedicated to studying and preserving Monticello's archaeological record, and to deciphering its meaning through comparative research. Historical topics of special focus in the Department's fieldwork include landscape history and slavery, both at Monticello and in...
Thomas Jefferson's landholdings in Albemarle County totaled some 5,000 acres. To manage this vast estate, Jefferson divided the land into separate "farms." The area surrounding the planter's dwelling constituted the "home farm"; for Jefferson, this was Monticello mountain. Outlying lands were...
Within a few days I shall bury myself in the groves of Monticello and become a mere spectator to passing events. -- Jefferson to Alexander von Humboldt, 1809 In 1806 Jefferson drew a sketch of Monticello mountain and designated eighteen acres on the northwestern side as the "grove." He envisioned a...
Mulberry Row , named for the mulberry trees planted alongside it, was the center of plantation activity at Monticello from the 1770s until Thomas Jefferson's death in 1826. Jefferson's original plan for the site was a 400-foot-long row of shops and yards joined structurally so as to look like a...
