Jefferson Library

The remnants of Hurricane Debby have been blowing through central Virginia since late yesterday.

Jefferson noted hurricanes during his time as well, of course. In September of 1815, Jefferson recorded a "most violent storm," and a rather startling event several days later:

“about 60 hours after the commencement of the storm—that is, about two and a half days, or around the early afternoon of 6 September—“at least 100. sea swallows were blown up into Bedford & dropped on the farms alive but exhausted.”

Read more about this event here:

https://jefferson-weather-records.org/taxonomy/term/318

Image: Overtaken in a Hurricane in Jamaica (1812), by Catherine Street. Brown University Library/World Digital Library. https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.wdl/wdl.9657

Having you been enjoying watching great feats of athleticism in the Olympics this week? Perhaps you are wondering what Thomas Jefferson did for exercise? Spoiler alert, it did not involve back handsprings or beach volleyball. As far as we know.

Find out more about what we know about Jefferson's physical fitness regimen here, but there's a little hint in the picture below: https://www.monticello.org/research-education/thomas-jefferson-encyclopedia/exercise/

The restoration of Monticello is an ongoing process. See the first comment for a photo from our archives showing the Madison Room in the late 1920s or early 1930s. You'll notice a major feature missing...

Traces of the treillage wallpaper were discovered in 1936. What you see today was manufactured by F. Schumacher & Co. in the early 1990s.

We got a chance to experience one of these tours a few months back, and they are fantastic! We hope you'll join us to learn more about the women of Monticello.

Life, liberty, and the Women at Monticello Tour Straight out of the gate, I must acknowledge this wasn’t a fair test. Almost a decade ago (where has the time gone?), I worked at Monticello for roughly seven years. My last few roles were Mar...

We recently got a delightful and unexpected gift in the mail. Someone sent us this Jefferson Memorial souvenir spoon. The handle features a relief version of the Rudulph Evans statue that stands in the center of the Jefferson Memorial. It was made by the Fort Pewter Company, which made similar souvenir spoons for other National Park sites. We checked with our curators and while we couldn’t find any definitive information on when it was made, the spoon probably dates from the 1970s or 1980s.

Learn more about the statue here: https://www.monticello.org/research-education/thomas-jefferson-encyclopedia/jefferson-memorial-statue/

Happy Independence Day! 🇺🇸

Below is a photograph from our archives showing the July 4th naturalization ceremony and presentations on July 4th, 1969. Can you spot the difference between that day's setup and today's? (Scroll down for the answer!)
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In decades past, Monticello has actually held its July 4th ceremonies on the EAST lawn, not the West Lawn! One giveaway is that Monticello's famous dome is not visible from this side (at least from this angle).

We've been gathering materials to display at our table in the Partner Tent during Thomas Jefferson's Monticello's July 4th celebrations next week, and finding some great stuff. Here's a commemorative facsimile printing of Jefferson's "rough draft" of the Declaration of Independence, printed by the Empire Publishing Company in Troy, New York for the centennial in 1876.

It's getting to be tomato season already here in Virginia, and as it happens, I spent some time chasing down a factoid about Jefferson and tomatoes today.

It is claimed in many, many (so many) sources that Thomas Jefferson attributed the introduction of the tomato in Virginia to Dr. John de Sequeyra, a Portuguese Jewish doctor who lived in Williamsburg from ca. 1745 until his death in 1795.

As it turns out, I could not find that Jefferson himself had written this anywhere. However, it WAS written down by someone who might possibly have met him, and wrote about it during his lifetime, so...maybe.

John Augustine Smith (1782-1865), who was then president of the College of William and Mary, wrote to Thomas Sewall in 1825: “Doctor Siccart, a practitioner of medicine in Virginia, was, it is believed, a Portuguese Jew. It is said, by Mr. Jefferson, that we are indebted to him for the introduction of that admirable vegetable the tomato.” Sewall later published this quote in A lecture, delivered at the opening of the Medical Department of the Columbian College in the District of Columbia: March 30, 1825(Washington City: Printed at the Columbian College, 1826).

I don't find evidence that Smith and Jefferson were in touch, but it's possible they could have encountered each other; Jefferson did purchase a book by Smith in 1809. So, the story could be true although we lack confirmation from Jefferson himself.

The bees and the butterflies are busy busy busy here now with all the flowering trees and plants. The magnolias are popping, and the huge old linden in front of Kenwood is literally abuzz with activity. Walking underneath its branches is like entering a fragrant bee paradise! See if you can spot our pollinator friends in these photos…

The rich history of the mountaintop began long before Thomas Jefferson named it Monticello. Indigenous people have lived in this area for millennia and Monticello is located within the ancestral homeland of the Monacan.

The Monacan Indian Nation, a federally recognized sovereign tribe, continue to call Central Virginia their home, and our collaborations with them allow us to better understand this area. This past weekend, Monticello staff were honored to attend the 31st annual Monacan Indian Nation Powwow, pictured here.

Ongoing archaeological investigation at Monticello confirms the presence of Indigenous people through the centuries. As we excavate, we learn more about how the ancestral Monacan seasonally hunted in the area and traveled through on their way to nearby larger towns, like Monasukapanough, which was located about five miles north of present-day Charlottesville. We share these findings with Monacan Tribal Leadership, and include information on tours, in our exhibits, and online about the Monacan and other Indigenous peoples and their interactions with Jefferson and the early United States. These histories of conflict and perseverance demonstrate the strength and resilience of Native American people and their varied cultures.

The Jefferson Library at Monticello is also home to the Jeffrey L. Hantman Archive of Monacan Archaeology, History, and Culture, a publicly accessible digital archive of resources.

Check it out: bit.ly/4bNJ8Ff

Learn more about the Monacan Nation from their site, www.monacannation.com.

Archaeology at Monticello | DAACS

It's , and if the heat is getting to you, perhaps you'd like to follow in Thomas Jefferson and James Madison's footsteps (figuratively or literally) on their 1791 journey to New England. Along the way, they studied the Hessian fly, interviewed some of the last living speakers of the Indigenous Unquachog language on Long Island, and Jefferson traveled to the furthest northern point he would ever reach inside North America (Chimney Point, Vermont). Coincidentally, they set off on May 21, and you can read all about it here:

https://www.monticello.org/research-education/thomas-jefferson-encyclopedia/northern-tour-1791/

📸: Lake Champlain. Jack Robertson Photographic Collection, Jefferson Library.

The irises are winding down here in central Virginia, but there are still quite a few in bloom along the walk leading to the Roosevelt Cottage here next to the library. Built for Franklin Delano Roosevelt by his friends Major General Edwin and Frances Nash, the cottage is the new home of our colleagues in the Getting Word African American Oral History Project.

Happy ! The black-and-white photo below is from our Architectural Image Collection at the Library, compiled by Monticello staff over many years and comprising images of Monticello from Jefferson's time through the present. It's an invaluable tool in understanding how Monticello's structure and appearance have changed in the last 200-odd years.

The image below was taken by one of the men who worked on Monticello's very first roof restoration, Gordon Granger, Jr., and was donated to us by his daughter, Lenore Granger Watts.

We wrapped up by showing off our resources in the community partner tent at the Founder’s Day ceremony up on the mountaintop. We also got to admire the many, many tulips in bloom right now!

*See first comment for link to the livestream of the Founder’s Day program.

We are at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture in Richmond for the Virginia Forum enjoying some interesting presentations. Caught these beautiful blooming Japanese cherry trees next door at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts on our lunch break!

Our pink dogwood is just starting to bloom…

For , and since things are a-bloomin' here and we're in a springy kind of mood, we thought we'd share this delightful publication from the Garden Club of Virginia. It's the journal of a Mary Murtland Wurts, who took a road trip with her friends in 1930 for Virginia Garden Week, visiting a number of historic houses and gardens (although not Monticello, I'm afraid). Her account also features her photographs and some charming drawings done by a modern artist for this edition. Enjoy! 🌷🚗

Very sad news.

Remembering Daniel P. Jordan, 1938 - 2024 Jordan’s commitment to whole history changed not only Monticello but historic sites across the country.

The city of Charlottesville from Montalto, March 12, 2024.

Our efforts to understand and preserve Monticello as it was in Thomas Jefferson's lifetime began with the work of Monticello's first curator, Marie Kimball.

Read more about her in our blog post: bit.ly/3Tt699R

Join us on Friday, March 22 for "Revolutionary Women: A Symposium" to celebrate Women’s History Month and prepare for the upcoming 250th anniversary of American Independence in 2026.

The day will feature recent research and publications by prominent scholars that explore the diverse ways women have contributed to American history and society.

Registration is required, but free. Learn more: bit.ly/3P4dTMY

Happy 316th birthday to Thomas Jefferson's father, Peter Jefferson. Born on leap day, 1708! 🎂

Learn more about PJ here: https://www.monticello.org/research-education/thomas-jefferson-encyclopedia/peter-jefferson/

📸: Thomas Jefferson's prayer book, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia

Even in the depths of winter, we have a few brave little flowers to see us through. Here are some snowdrops for your Friday (also known as “the fair maids of February) and some winter jasmine.

The Jefferson Library's collections are very tightly focused, but within our subject areas they are surprisingly deep. Here's a great example. Pictured here are all the books we have about York (ca. 1775-ca. 1815), the only Black enslaved man on the Lewis and Clark expedition. We have everything from children's books to adult nonfiction to novels to works of poetry. Many of these books are part of a generous gift from Ron Laycock. [Not pictured here: Frank X. Walker's poetry collection Buffalo Dance: The Journey of York, currently checked out!]

If you're curious to learn more about York, the excellent Discover Lewis & Clark website has a biographical article on him, as well as a listing of York's appearances in the journals of the expedition and other resources.

https://lewis-clark.org/members/york/