Monday, June 13, part C ( for coolest place yet!!)

Thomas Jefferson's Monticello

Okay, go dig a nickle out of your purse or pocket. Have it in hand? Flip it to the backside and look at the picture on it. If your eyesight is good, you can even read the word under the picture. Yes, that says Monticello! It can also be seen on the back of a two-dollar bill, unfortunately I did not have one of those handy.

Thomas Jefferson's Monticello is on the back of the nickle.

Has to be one of my favorite places we visited! Thomas Jefferson's story was everywhere we went. He was a very dedicated man to his country, family, and followed his dreams and heart's desires! He was definitely a man who shaped the future of our country, a man with ideas, and some might say a man born before his time.

• Father of the Declaration of Independence
• Serves in Virginia House of Delegates
• Governor of Virginia
• Elected to Congress
• Minister to France
• Secretary of State
• Vice President
• President

He is  for several notable achievements as President, including:

• The Louisiana Purchase
• The Lewis and Clark Expedition

Monticello was like a work of art for Jefferson. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the house. The house was originally began construction in 1769. After going to France, he returned and tore down part of the house and redid it, wanting to incorporate some new architectural design he saw while there. Of all the houses we saw, this one had the neatest features.

• Upon walking up the front steps, one can see a clock over the door. This is a two faced clock, the outside only showed the hour hand, only the inside face had a minute hand on it also. The clock was tied to a gong that would sound each hour, loud enough to be heard in the fields.  The clock was run by a system of cords, pulleys, and weights (cannonballs). The weights were also set to keep track of the day of the week. Watch this short video to see the clock and cannonball calendar. Jefferson devised a fold up type ladder to reach the clock once a week it had to be wound with a key. 

• Under the house was a walk way that led to the wine cellar, beer cellar, kitchen, and privy. There is also a dumbwaiter built into the sides of the mantle of the dining room fireplace to bring wine up from the cellar. Jefferson wanted a way to get to these places without having to brave bad weather. From the tunnel there is a set of stairs that come up in the middle to about the dining room. In the dining area, there is a rotating door with shelves on one side. That way the food could be brought up, placed there, and then a house maid could serve it.

Photo from http://www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/revolving-serving-door

•  On top of the house was the Dome room (70 some odd steps up and back!). It was a uniquely shaped room with great windows. I think the most unique part of the room were the doors that you would assume opened to a balcony of some kind but really only opened to a storage space. The floor was painted green to "bring in some outside".

Dome Room

•  The grounds around Monticello were just as spectacular as the inside of the house. 

Flower garden

Vegetable garden

Thomas Jefferson, died on July 4,  1826, exactly 50 years to the day that the Declaration of Independence was signed. He is buried at Monticello and the small cemetery is still used today by his descendants.