Writer of the declaration of Independence, statesman, Secretary of State, Washington's Vice President, Third President of our new United States.
Plantsman, Architect, Iconoclast, Farmer, Foodie, Art collector, Scientist, Genius.
Slave owner.
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| The man |
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| His house |
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| His vegetable garden |
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| His visitors |
We had a wonderful experience at Monticello. The house tour was well done, with lots of biographical information about this amazing man and his family.
The house is impressive but small. It is quirky, entirely designed by Jefferson, and was under constant construction and reconstruction during his lifetime. He was a gadget freak and loved to entertain -- his house has been described as his autobiographical masterpiece.
The 5,000 acre estate was a working farm, a botanical park, and an industrial city atop the mountain, hand manufacturing all the materials to build Monticello. 130 enslaved workers made it all go. Over his lifetime Jefferson owned 600 people. He freed five of them at his death.
The tour of slave life on the estate was extremely well done. It was the highlight of the day. The guide made their experiences come alive -- not just the horror of slavery but the whole rich, conflicted way individual lives were bound with the lives of Virginians, and with Jefferson himself.
Our last tour was the garden tour. The scope of the land clearing, tree planting and farm production was impressive. All of this atop a mountain with spectacular scenery of blue Virginia hills. Jefferson loved this place.
A full day, well worth the long slog of a car trip yesterday to get here. Seeing so vividly the history of how our country's most iconic places were only possible using slave labor for so many years leaves us feeling unsettled.
We come back to our place, an inn built at the very end of Jefferson's life, circa 1820. We don't have palladian windows and arbors and walkways, but we have a porch with a view of the 100 acre estate owned by John Grisham.
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| Our porch |
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| Our view of John Grisham's farm |
Our inn is quaint, very old and creaky, with steep stairs and a ton of history and the breakfast was delicious.
Tomorrow on to Asheville, North Carolina.
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