A Brief Visit to Monticello: The House

I have an announcement to make (quasi-proclamations are fun, you guys): I have been overthinking and putting off this post for too long.  Seth and I took this trip back in August, when it was still unbearably hot here in Virginia.  We didn't get to spend a lot of time in  Charlottesville or at the Monticello plantation, so I had endeavored to make my way back there before posting anything.  Or, at least, to do enough research to feel like I had an idea of what I was talking about.  In the end, there is just so much to learn about Monticello and Jefferson and far too many interesting things to write about the man, his ideas and the times he lived in, to do justice to any of the above.  Of course, since I also forgot my camera and had to use my cellphone for pictures, this isn't the ideal photojournal of the trip, either.  Thus, I am resigned to just enjoy writing what I do know and sharing with you the few decent pictures I managed to take.  I offer you a wealth of rainy-day cell-phone photos and my first impressions of/lingering thoughts about the places we saw, to start with.  As time allows, I will definitely be going back to Monticello to explore and do the other tours (hopefully, with a decent camera next time).  

If you are in the area and have the opportunity, the tours of Monticello are fascinating and the tour guides are extremely knowledgeable, patient and somehow manage to keep their senses of humor intact.  That last one is notable, considering how few people pay attention to their requests (don't sit on the furniture, don't touch the paintings, don't wander away from the tour, etc).  They really deserve some kudos.

Monticello

We were dismayed to find rainy weather on the day we were set to go to Jefferson's Monticello, but it turned out to be a light rain and it cut the heat down, so we took our umbrellas and enjoyed a tour of the bottom floor of the house, some of the grounds, and Jefferson's revolutionary vegetable garden.

A life-size statue of Thomas Jefferson hangs out at the top of the visitors center stairs, looking toward the shuttle loading area as if to say, "What the hell are you people doing on my land?!"  At least, that was my first impression.  I believe you have the option of walking up, instead of taking the shuttle.  I imagine Jefferson would approve.

The shuttle dropped us off a short walk away from the front of Monticello, but we all thought it was the back, because so many shots of the house and grounds are from the other side (more on that later).  However, it is entering from this side, the East Portico, that brings you into the Entrance Hall.  

Here is where I tell you all that I can remember about the inside of the house, because no photographs are allowed - links to images are provided.  Here is the tourable link to the house's floorplan:  ROOMS.

In Jefferson's day, visitors were left to wait in this Entrance Hall, off the East Portico, where they could marvel at Jefferson's collection of souvenirs from the Lewis and Clark Expedition (courtesy of friend, fellow local and future private secretary, Meriwether Lewis).  From Monticello.org: "The Entrance Hall served as a reception area and waiting room for visitors and a museum of American natural history, western civilization, and American Indian cultures."

Although the Entrance Hall and the Parlor (off the West Portico) are magnificent rooms, Jefferson's library (which contains mostly titles he would have had, but not the originals he owned) and his bedchamber (including the alcove bed in which he breathed his last) were the most fascinating to me.  I also enjoyed the guest bedroom, which the Madisons so often used, called the North Octagonal Room.  I admit to liking alcove beds and oddly shaped rooms, for some reason.  Oh, and the closet over the alcove bed in Jefferson's room (note the three elliptical windows above the bed in his room, they ventilate said closet), which was accessible by ladder.  Lovin' the use of space.

Tomorrow's post will conclude our Monticello visit with many photos of the grounds and gardens, as well as anything Seth and I can remember that may be of interest to you.