Monticello presents Jefferson’s past with realism

Charlottesville, Va. — To understand just how American the road from home renovation to poorhouse is, visit Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s extraordinary mountaintop money pit in central Virginia just outside Charlottesville.

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Thomas Jefferson Foundation

Monticello reveals European influences on Jefferson – the dome was the first on an American house – while also showing his interests in America, including the collection of artifacts he displayed in the reception area.

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Thomas Jefferson Foundation

An ariel shot of Monticello house and grounds in the fall.

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AP File Photo

Thomas Jefferson spent 40 years designing and redesigning Monticello. The work left him $100,000 in debt at the time of his death.

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Thomas Jefferson Foundation

Monticello recently opened a $43 million visitors center. Attention is paid to showing kids what life was like in the 1800s.

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For more than 40 years, America’s Founding Father and third president designed and redesigned the neoclassical home that centered his soul and the 5,000-acre slave plantation he inherited from his father.

Yes, the man who wrote that “all men are created equal” and have a right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” owned slaves, lots of them. After Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, more than $100,000 in debt — and how American is that? — his daughter, Martha, was forced to sell his beloved house as well as the land and the slaves who worked there.

Last week, a new $43 million visitors center opened on Monticello’s lower slope to give greater insight into this contradictory man and the place he called home. The 42,000-square-foot tranquil complex, anchored by an outdoor courtyard, offers a close-up look at objects and artifacts that attest to Jefferson’s fascination with just about everything — especially everything scientific and technological.

It is fitting, then, that the center incorporates high-tech, interactive exhibits to bring Jefferson’s enduring ideas, if not always actions, about liberty to life. A discovery room offers kids a hands-on experience of what it was like to grow up in the early 1800s, both in freedom and slavery.

Visitors can track the four-decade evolution of the iconic house, Jefferson’s “essay in architecture,” which mushroomed like a Buckhead redo from eight to 21 rooms, complete with 13 skylights, eight fireplaces and a dome.

A look at the real thing is just a short bus ride up the mountain. The surrounding grounds also are spectacular. When Jefferson wasn’t fussing with the house, he was cultivating flowers, trees, fruits and vegetables of all varieties and species.

Luckily for history buffs and ordinary Americans, Monticello changed very little after Jefferson died, so the place remains very much his. A private foundation bought it in 1923 and continues to operate it today.

Here are a few highlights:

Outside influences

Jefferson served as minister to France prior to his presidency, and the time abroad prompted Monticello’s overhaul. The parquet floor, French doors, alcove beds with overhead closets, octagonal bedroom — all were influenced by the Europeans. The dome was the first to sit on an American house. But there’s plenty of red, white and blue at Monticello, too. Jefferson turned the hall, or reception area, into a museum that displayed everything from mastodon bones to Native American objects collected by Lewis and Clark.

Slavery at Monticello

There is no getting around it, and Monticello tour guides don’t try to. The man who drafted the Declaration of Independence was once Albemarle County’s largest slaveholder. Seven years ago, Monticello archaeologists unearthed a slave burial ground only a short walk from the new visitor center. Tour guides also are quick to point out that Jefferson likely fathered one or more children born to Sally Hemings, a slave he inherited from his father-in-law.

Modest in death

Many people in this part of the world still refer to the third American president as “Mr. Jefferson,” and in the present tense, but a private family graveyard at Monticello confirms that the Founding Father indeed has passed on. While some people prefer lengthy epitaphs, the one Jefferson wrote for his tombstone is short, sweet and omits some major accomplishments, like “President.” It reads: “Here was buried Thomas Jefferson. Author of the Declaration of Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and Father of the University of Virginia.”

IF YOU GO

Monticello. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, March-October; 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily, November-February. House tour and garden tickets for adults are $20, March-October, and $15, November-February; $8 for children ages 6-11. Children younger than 6 are free. Family-friendly tours, designed specifically for children, are offered June 6-Sept. 7; $20 adults, $8 kids. The Signature Tour, which features smaller tour groups and access to rooms not seen on the regular tour, are offered May 1-Sept. 11; $45 for all tickets. 931 Thomas Jefferson Parkway, Charlottesville, Va. 434-984-9822, visit www.monticello.org.

GETTING THERE

Monticello is six miles from downtown Charlottesville, Va., and 500 miles from Atlanta. Flights and carriers into the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport are limited, and last-minute trips can be prohibitive. Delta’s regional connector, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, flies directly from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for about $230 round trip, with a 14-day advance purchase. Richmond International Airport, 80 miles away, offers more flights and airlines. Monticello is 125 miles from Washington, D.C., so flights into Reagan National and Dulles International are worth exploring.

WHERE TO STAY

Boar’s Head Inn. The site of an inn since the 1730s, the Boar’s Head Inn was built in part out of timbers from an 1834 gristmill. Rooms start at $166. 200 Ednam Drive, Charlottesville, Va. 1-800-476-1988, www.boarsheadinn.com Clifton Inn. A small Relais & Châteaux property on 100 wooded acres. Rooms start at $149. 1296 Clifton Inn Drive, Charlottesville, Va. 434-971-1800, www.cliftoninn.net.

WHERE TO EAT

Michie Tavern. The lunch-only restaurant, less than a mile from Monticello, offers fried chicken, black-eyed peas and other traditional Southern fare. Dishes are served up by a wait staff in Colonial costume, and the building dates to 1784. 683 Thomas Jefferson Parkway, Charlottesville, Va. 434-977-1234, www.michietavern.com.

OTHER SIGHTS

Ash Lawn-Highland. The home of James Monroe, America’s fifth president, is owned and operated by the College of William and Mary, Monroe’s alma mater. The estate serves as a 535-acre working farm and performing arts site. $10 adults, $9 seniors, $5 children 6-11. 1000 James Monroe Parkway, Charlottesville, Va. 434-293-8000, www.ashlawnhighland.org.

Montpelier. The lifelong home of America’s fourth president, James Madison, known as the Father of the Constitution. The 2,650-acre estate features active archaeological sites, forests and a new visitors center. The mansion Madison shared with his trend-setting wife, Dolley, recently underwent a $25 million renovation and was restored to its original magnificence. $14 adults, $7 children 6-14. 11407 Constitution Highway, Montpelier Station, Va. 540-672-2728, Ext. 100, www.montpelier.org.

The University of Virginia. After his presidency, Jefferson retired to Monticello and dreamed up the University of Virginia. He designed the original grounds, including the rotunda and the lawn, as an “Academical Village.” 434-924-7969, www.virginia.edu.