Three Presidents - One Day

On each of our trips to Washington DC we had talked about visiting Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson.  Doug had toured it years ago when he went with his family, but we were never sure how to fit it in as it was a five hour round trip commitment from Brett's.  When we started planing this summer's trip we realized that we had visited the majority of the sites in DC, so we thought this would be the year to try it.  While researching Monticello I found out that both James Madison and James Monroe had homes within a twenty mile radius of Jefferson's which we decided to add to our itinerary.

Today we set out early in the morning with the goal of touring Montpelier James Madison's plantation, James Monroe's Highlands, and Monticello.  All sites lived up to the expectations with Jefferson's being the most spectacular.  Madison's home was larger than we would have expected, but it had the least amount of furniture from the family.  Dolley Madison's son had squandered the majority of their money leaving her to sell the home after James died.  Six other families owned the property before it was returned to the state of Virginia in the 1980's.  Thus, it was a nice tour, but the least informative.

Monroe's home no longer stood on Highland, but their guest home was still on the property.  Inside of it were furniture and items that the Monroe's had collected during their travels as an ambassador to France and Spain.  Our guide provided a wealth of information on the Monroe family as well as his Presidency.  Brett and I were definitely intrigued by the bust that Napoleon gave Monroe after his coronation in France.  It seemed over the top as a gift and we tried to envision doing that ourselves.  

The last stop was Monticello which was adjacent to Highland.  It was by far the most fascinating of the Presidential homes that we visited this weekend.  Jefferson spent forty years renovating his home.  He lived on the property and collected many scientific inventions such as the first odometer.  His bedroom was interesting with an alcove bed much as they had in France.  His relationship with a slave that produced six children was discussed and an emphasis on the slaves that helped make Monticello operate was abundant.  We were only allowed to visit the main level of the home, but the view of the University of Virginia through a carved out hole in his trees was awe inspiring and we each appreciated our visit.  It was an exhausting day, but a rewarding one as well.