Thomas Jefferson's Monticello
Monticello, located in Charlottesville, Virginia, was the estate of Thomas Jefferson, one of the principal architect/authors of the United States' Declaration of Independence, he was also the third President of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia.
The estate house, which Jefferson himself designed, was based on the neoclassical principles described in the books of the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. It is situated on the summit of an 850-foot-high peak in the Southwest Mountains south of the Rivanna Gap. The name "Monicello" comes from the Italian "little mountain" and is located in Albemarle county, Virginia.
DIRECTIONS: Monticello, a National Historic Landmark, is located in the Virginia Piedmont about two miles southeast of Charlottesville, Virginia, off of State Rte. 53.
Open daily. Hours 8:00am to 5:00pm March-October, 9:00am to 4:30pm November-February, closed Christmas Day.
For more information please visit www.monticello.org
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Visitors at Monticello listen to a docent
Visitors to Thomas Jefferson's home will be treated to the idea that Jefferson was a firm believer in “useful knowledge” which could make life more efficient and convenient, and he used Monticello as a laboratory for that theory.
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VERY trick - Jefferson the inventor! The compass rose on the ceiling of the Northeast Portico of Thomas Jefferson's house was connected to the weathervane on the roof. Jefferson and his family could determine the wind direction by looking from the windows in the Entrance Hall and in the...
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Fish pond at Monticello * Thomas Jefferson was a prolific inventor and builder. This fish pond at Monticello has been faithfully restored back to the late 1700's. Jefferson had several fish pond at Monticello, in this photo is his "eel pond."
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Kitchen at Jefferson's Monticello Monticello's kitchen, once restored in the 1950's, was restored once again from 2003-2004. To the left in this photo can be seen Jefferson's "stew stove" which is a multiple "burner" stove quite ingenious for it's time. It covers the entire left wall.
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Slave quarters at Monticello The political views of Thomas Jefferson on slavery are some of the most controversial points he made in his political career and his life. He believed that slavery was, essentially, a necessary evil and that the institution should be gradually phased...
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Palladian window from the late 1700's A Palladian window is a large window that is divided into three parts. The center section is larger than the two side sections, and is usually arched. Renaissance architecture and other buildings in classical styles often have Palladian windows. On Adam...
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Monticello's beer cellar At Monticello, beer was a “table liquor” served during dinner, and Jefferson’s earliest designs for his plantation included spaces for brewing and the storage of beer. In the spring of 1812, while tensions grew between the United States and Great...
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Thomas Jefferson's vegitable garden in Virginia The vegitable garden at Monticello's platform, enlarged by Jefferson in 1808, is 1,000 feet long and 80 feet wide, and contains about 2 acres. In it, our third president had planted about 330 plants, but apparently not enough herbs to his liking as he...
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The garden pavilion at Monticello Resplendent with two grand paladin windows, Jefferson's garden pavilion evolved over many years: beginning in 1770 when crops were first cultivated along the contours of the sloped mountain. Terracing was introduced in 1806, and by 1812, gardening...
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Crows, on a high perch, fly away in Virginia Three black crows sitting on a old wooden trellis at Monticello (in Albemarle county, Virginia [in the Piedmont Region]) take flight to go scavenge their way through the Virginia countryside. This area is also sometimes known as "Horse Country,"...
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Baby chipmunk with booty This little scamp attempts a getaway (s/he was a success) at Monticello. Chipmunks are a member of the squirrel family and speedy little critters, chipmunks are small members of the squirrel family. Their cherubic cheeks, large, glossy eyes, stripes,...
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Monticello, Virginia Located near Charlottsville, a city and the county-seat of Albemarle county, Virginia, U.S.A., picturesquely situated on the Rivanna river, 96 m. (by rail) N.W. of Richmond in the beautiful Piedmont region. The city is served by the Chesapeake & Ohio,...
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Piedmont Proper Piedmont, Virginia is a part of the greater Piedmont region which stretches from the falls of the Potomac, Rappahannock, and James Rivers to the Blue Ridge Mountains. The region is 50 miles wide, more or less, and 100 miles in length. At its northern...
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Entrance to Monticello's graveyard
Behind this grand wrought-iron gate lies the tomb of Thomas Jefferson and his linear descendants. In the center of the gate are Jefferson's initials on a round, gold colored plaque.
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The Monticello Graveyard This plaque tells the history of the Graveyard at Monticello. Apparently a boyhood friend of Jefferson's by the name of Dabney Carr (who was also a school-mate)made a deal with Jefferson: that they be buried in the same plot of land; a deal that came to...
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