Monticello facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Monticello |
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Monticello in September 2013
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| Location | Albemarle County, Virginia near Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S. |
| Built | 1772 |
| Architect | Thomas Jefferson |
| Architectural style(s) | Neoclassical, Palladian |
| Governing body | The Thomas Jefferson Foundation (TJF) |
| Official name: Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville | |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, iv, vi |
| Designated | 1987 (11th session) |
| Reference no. | 442 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| Designated | October 15, 1966 |
| Reference no. | 66000826 |
| Designated | December 19, 1960 |
| Designated | September 9, 1969 |
| Reference no. | 002-0050 |
Monticello ( MON-tih-CHEL-oh) was the main home and large farm of Thomas Jefferson. He was a Founding Father, who wrote the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson was also the third president of the United States.
Jefferson started designing Monticello when he was 14. He inherited land from his father. The property is near Charlottesville, Virginia, in the Piedmont area. It was originally about 5,000 acres (20 km2) large. Jefferson used the labor of enslaved black people to grow tobacco and other crops. Later, he switched to growing wheat.
Monticello is very important for its history and architecture. It is a National Historic Landmark. In 1987, Monticello and the nearby University of Virginia became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Jefferson also designed the university. Since 1938, the United States nickel coin has shown Monticello on its back side.
Jefferson designed the main house using neoclassical ideas. These ideas came from an Italian Renaissance architect named Andrea Palladio. Jefferson kept changing the design while he was president. He added popular European styles from the late 1700s and many of his own ideas.
The house sits on top of an 850 ft-high (260 m) hill. The name Monticello means "little mountain" in Italian. Near the house was Mulberry Row. This area had many small buildings for different jobs, like a nail factory. It also had homes for enslaved people who worked in the house. There were gardens for flowers, vegetables, and Jefferson's plant experiments. Enslaved people who worked in the fields lived farther away.
Jefferson was buried on the grounds of Monticello. This area is now called the Monticello Cemetery. It is owned by the Monticello Association, which is a group of his descendants. After Jefferson died, his daughter Martha Jefferson Randolph sold Monticello. Later, Uriah P. Levy, a U.S. Navy officer, bought it in 1834. He admired Jefferson and spent his own money to save the property. His nephew, Jefferson Monroe Levy, took over in 1879. He also spent a lot of money to restore it. In 1923, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation (TJF) bought Monticello. They now run it as a museum and learning center.
Contents
Building Monticello
Jefferson's home was built to be a large farm house, which became a beautiful villa. Work on the first Monticello started in 1768. Jefferson moved into a small building on the property in 1770. His wife, Martha Wayles Skelton, joined him in 1772. Jefferson continued to work on his first design. He used free workers, servants, and enslaved people to build his home.
After his wife died in 1782, Jefferson left Monticello in 1784. He went to France to serve as a U.S. Minister. While in Europe, he saw many classical buildings he had read about. He also saw new French architecture styles. This trip likely made him decide to redesign his home.
In 1794, Jefferson began rebuilding Monticello. He used the ideas he learned in Europe. The rebuilding continued through most of his time as president (1801–1809). It was mostly finished by 1809, but Jefferson kept working on it until he died in 1826.
Jefferson added a central hallway and more rooms, making the house twice as big. He removed the second floor and replaced it with a lower mezzanine floor of bedrooms. The inside of the house has two large main rooms. One was an entrance hall and museum, where Jefferson showed his science interests. The other was a music and sitting room.
The most striking part of the new design was an eight-sided dome. He put it above the west side of the house. The room inside the dome was called "a noble and beautiful apartment." But it was not used much. Maybe it was too hot in summer or too cold in winter. Also, you could only reach it by climbing narrow stairs. The dome room has been restored to look like it did when Jefferson lived there. It has yellow walls and a green and black checkered floor.
Summers in the area are very hot. Inside the house, temperatures could reach around 100 °F (38 °C). Jefferson was interested in old Roman ways to control temperature. Monticello's large central hall and windows were designed to let cool air flow through the house. The dome also helped by letting hot air rise and escape. Today, the house has gentle air conditioning to protect the old building and its contents.
Before Jefferson died, Monticello started to look worn down. He was busy with his university project and family problems. The main reason for the house's decay was his growing debts. In his last years, many things at Monticello were not repaired. A visitor in 1824 said the house looked "old and going to decay."
Saving Monticello
When Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, his only surviving daughter, Martha Jefferson Randolph, inherited Monticello. But the property had many debts. In 1831, she sold Monticello to James Turner Barclay for $7,500.
Barclay sold it in 1834 to Uriah P. Levy for $2,500. Levy was the first Jewish commodore in the U.S. Navy. He greatly admired Jefferson. He used his own money to fix and save the house. During the American Civil War, the Confederate government took the house. They sold it to a Confederate officer. But Levy's family got the property back after the war.
Levy's family had arguments over his property. But these were settled in 1879. Uriah Levy's nephew, Jefferson Monroe Levy, bought out the other family members for $10,050. He then took control of Monticello. Like his uncle, Jefferson Levy paid for repairs and restoration. The house had been falling apart during the family's legal battles. Together, the Levy family saved Monticello for almost 100 years.
In 1909, Maud Littleton visited Monticello. After her visit, she started a campaign to have Monticello taken from Jefferson Levy. She spoke to the press and Congress. Two bills to take Monticello from Levy did not pass.
Because of money problems, Levy sadly sold Monticello to a foundation. Maud Littleton became the first leader of this group. For 60 years, the foundation did not mention the Levy family's role. But in 1985, Daniel Jordan, the new leader, had Rachel Levy's grave restored. Rachel was Levy's mother and was buried at Monticello.
In 1923, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, a private non-profit group, bought the house from Jefferson Levy for $500,000. They continued to restore it. The foundation now runs Monticello as a house museum and a place for learning. Visitors can walk around the grounds and tour parts of the house. There are also special tours that go to the second and third floors, including the famous dome room.
Monticello is a National Historic Landmark. It is the only private home in the United States that is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The original grounds and buildings of Jefferson's University of Virginia are also part of this honor.
Inside Monticello: Decorations and Furnishings
Many of the decorations inside Monticello show Jefferson's own ideas.
The main entrance is through the front porch on the east side. The ceiling of this porch has a special plate connected to a weather vane. This shows the wind direction. A large clock on the outside wall only has an hour hand. Jefferson thought this was enough for the enslaved people who worked there. This clock shows the time from the "Great Clock" inside the entrance hall.
The entrance hall has copies of items collected by Lewis and Clark. Jefferson sent them on a trip to explore the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson had the floor painted "true grass green." An artist suggested this so that the house would feel like the outdoors.
The south part of the house has Jefferson's private rooms. His library holds many books from his third book collection. His first library burned in a fire. He sold his second library in 1815 to the United States Congress. This was to replace books lost when Washington D.C. was burned in the War of 1812. This second library became the start of the Library of Congress.
Monticello seems huge, but it has about 11,000 sq ft (1,000 m2) of living space. Jefferson thought a lot of furniture wasted space. So, the dining room table was only set up for meals. Beds were built into alcoves in thick walls, which also had storage. Jefferson's bed could open to his study and his dressing room.
In 2017, a room next to Jefferson's bedroom was found during digging. It was identified as Sally Hemings's living area. It will be restored. This is part of a project to show more about the lives of both enslaved and free families at Monticello.
The west side of the house looks like a smaller villa. Its lower floor is hidden by the hillside.
The north part of the house has two guest bedrooms and the dining room. It has a dumbwaiter built into the fireplace. There are also other dumbwaiters (tables on wheels) and a turning door with shelves for serving food.
Food and Cooking
Monticello is famous for making macaroni and cheese popular in the United States. While it wasn't invented there, it became well-known. Jefferson's enslaved cook, James Hemings, made the dish perfect. He was the brother of Sally Hemings, an enslaved woman who worked for Jefferson. James made the dish similar to how it is prepared today.
Life on Mulberry Row: Homes for Enslaved People
Jefferson built homes for enslaved people on Mulberry Row. This was a 1,000 ft (300 m) road with buildings for work and homes. Mulberry Row was about 300 ft (100 m) south of Monticello. The homes faced Jefferson's mansion. These cabins were for enslaved black people who worked in the main house or in Jefferson's businesses. They were not for those who worked in the fields. At one point, Jefferson drew plans for nicer homes on Mulberry Row. He imagined a mix of homes for enslaved black people and white workers.
Digging at the site shows that the rooms in the cabins were much larger in the 1770s than in the 1790s. Experts are not sure if this means more enslaved people were crowded into smaller spaces later. Or if fewer people lived in the smaller spaces. Earlier homes for enslaved people had two rooms, with one family per room and a shared door. But from the 1790s on, each room had its own door. Most cabins were single-room buildings.
By the time Jefferson died, some enslaved families had lived and worked at Monticello for four generations. Thomas Jefferson wrote about how he used child labor on his farm. Until age 10, children helped as nurses. When the farm grew tobacco, children were the right height to remove tobacco worms from the plants. When Jefferson started growing wheat, fewer people were needed for crops. So, he taught trades. He said children would "go into the ground or learn trades." Girls started spinning and weaving cloth at age 16. Boys made nails from age 10 to 16. In 1794, Jefferson had a dozen boys working at the nail factory. Boys working there got more food and sometimes new clothes if they did well. After the nail factory, boys became blacksmiths, barrel makers, carpenters, or house servants.
Six enslaved families and their descendants were featured in an exhibit. It was called Slavery at Jefferson's Monticello: Paradox of Liberty. This exhibit was at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in 2012. It also looked at Jefferson as a slave owner. This was the first exhibit on the national mall to talk about these issues.
In February 2012, Monticello opened a new outdoor exhibit. It is called Landscape of Slavery: Mulberry Row at Monticello. It helps visitors learn more about the lives of the hundreds of enslaved people who lived and worked on the farm.
Other Buildings and the Farm
The main house had small buildings next to it, to the north and south. A row of other buildings (like a dairy, washhouse, and nail factory) and homes for enslaved people (log cabins) were on Mulberry Row. A stone weaver's cottage is still there. So is the tall chimney of the carpentry shop.
A cabin on Mulberry Row was, for a time, the home of Sally Hemings. She was Jefferson's sister-in-law and an enslaved woman who worked in the house. Many believe she had a long relationship with Jefferson and had six children with him. Four of their children lived to be adults. Later, Hemings lived in a room below the main house.
On the hill below Mulberry Row, enslaved Africans took care of a large vegetable garden for the main house. Jefferson used the gardens of Monticello to try out different plant types. The house was the center of a 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) farm. About 150 enslaved people worked there.
Learning About Slavery at Monticello
In recent years, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation (TJF) has created programs to better explain the lives of enslaved people at Monticello. Starting in 1993, researchers talked to descendants of Monticello slaves. This was for the Getting Word Project. This project collected stories that gave new information about the lives of enslaved people and their families. For example, it was found that no enslaved people took Jefferson as a last name. But many had their own last names as early as the 1700s.
Some parts of Mulberry Row have been dug up by archaeologists. This digging helps us learn a lot about the lives of enslaved people on the farm. In 2000–2001, the burial ground for enslaved Africans at Monticello was found. In 2001, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation held a ceremony there. The names of known enslaved people from Monticello were read aloud. More archaeological work is helping us learn about African American burial customs.
In 2003, Monticello hosted a reunion of Jefferson's descendants. This included families from both his wife's side and the Hemings side. The descendants organized it and formed a new group called the Monticello Community. More reunions have been held since then.
Buying More Land
In 2004, the TJF bought Mountaintop Farm. This was the only property that looked down on Monticello. Jefferson had called the taller mountain Montalto. To stop new homes from being built there, the TJF spent $15 million to buy the land. Jefferson had owned it as part of his farm, but it was sold after he died. In the 1900s, its farmhouses were divided into apartments for many University of Virginia students. TJF officials had wanted to buy the property for a long time.
Monticello's Architecture
In 1784, Thomas Jefferson traveled in France. This trip greatly changed his ideas about architecture. He was mainly inspired by the neoclassical style, which was common in French buildings. This is why Monticello is designed in a classical revival style.
Jefferson was also interested in the Pantheon in Rome. He never got to see it in person. But the temple's front influenced Monticello. It also influenced the Rotunda, a library at the University of Virginia. Both buildings have a temple-like front with large columns, similar to the Pantheon. The back of the buildings also honors the Roman temple. Jefferson did this by adding a dome shape behind the temple front. After Jefferson left his government job, he decided to remodel Monticello. At this time, he was very influenced by the Hôtel de Salm in Paris.
The house looks similar to Chiswick House in London. Chiswick House is a Neoclassical house built in 1726–1729. It was inspired by the architect Andrea Palladio.
Monticello in Media
Monticello was shown in Bob Vila's TV show, Guide to Historic Homes of America. The tour included the Honeymoon Cottage and the Dome Room. The Dome Room is open to the public for a few tours each year.
Copies of Monticello
In 2014, Prestley Blake built a 10,000 sq ft (930 m2) copy of Monticello in Somers, Connecticut. You can see it on Route 186.
The entrance of the Naval Academy Jewish Chapel in Annapolis looks like Monticello.
Chamberlin Hall at Wilbraham & Monson Academy in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, built in 1962, also looks like Monticello. It is where the Academy's Middle School is located.
Completed in August 2015, Dallas Baptist University built one of the largest copies of Monticello. It includes its entry halls and a dome room. It is about 23,000 sq ft (2,100 m2) and is home to the Gary Cook School of Leadership and the University Chancellor's offices.
Saint Paul's Baptist Church in Richmond is modeled after Monticello.
Pi Kappa Alpha's Memorial Headquarters, opened in 1988, was inspired by Monticello's architecture. It is in Memphis, Tennessee.
Perrot Library (1931) in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, was also inspired by Jefferson's architecture and Monticello.
The outside of University of the Cumberlands' Ward and Regina Correll Science Complex is also a copy of Monticello. The building was expanded in 2007 and opened in 2009.
Monticello's Legacy
Monticello's image has appeared on U.S. money and stamps. A picture of the west front of Monticello has been on the back of the nickel coin since 1938. It was briefly changed in 2004 and 2005.
Monticello was also on the back of the two-dollar bill from 1928 to 1966. The bill was brought back in 1976. It still has Jefferson's picture on the front. But the back now shows a painting of the Declaration of Independence. The gift shop at Monticello often gives out two-dollar bills as change.
The 1994 special Thomas Jefferson 250th Anniversary silver dollar also shows Monticello on its back.
Images for kids
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West Front of Monticello
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Vegetable Garden – 180 degrees
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The Visitors' Center
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Monticello facade and its reproduction on a nickel
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Monticello, the day after a snowstorm
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In the dome room, wall detail
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Inside the Pavilion at the Vegetable Garden
See also
In Spanish: Monticello (Virginia) para niños
- Bibliography of Thomas Jefferson
- Jeffersonian architecture
- List of residences of presidents of the United States
- List of burial places of presidents and vice presidents of the United States
- History of early modern period domes
- People from Monticello
- Presidential memorials in the United States
- Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants
