Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's Home

Charlottesville, Virginia was cold yet beautiful. From TJ's home (ever since we parked at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial everyday in DC, we call him TJ) there are beautiful views of hills painted with fall colors, though most of the leaves have fallen now.

Today, we enjoyed the home TJ designed, that you see on the back of the nickel.

This stop was special because Ky had dressed as TJs sister a couple years ago for faces of history when she presented on President Jefferson.

Even though it was a couple years ago, she still had information to share with us and was excited to take her photo with the man himself. (:

Photography is not allowed inside the home. ): We got to see the front room where Jefferson's daughter, Martha, homeschooled her 11 children. The docent wasn't going to tell us much until she found out we homeschooled - then she really enjoyed talking to us and shared a lot of great information.

We saw Jefferson's office filled with "gadgets" like a polygraph (copy machine), telescope, microscope, orrery (a miniature solar system - with only 7 planets discovered so far), and rotating chair and rotating book stand (so you can have 5 books open at once).

In the main parlor, we saw where the family relaxed with many paintings, instruments, games like chess, and more gadgets like a camera obscura. 

Finally, we saw the dining and guest rooms. 

Outside, we could take photos. (:

In the carriage house we were reminded of Ben Franklin again as we saw yet another of TJ's gadgets, an odometer.

Underneath the house, there was "indoor" privies, an ice house, cellars for food and wine storage, and a kitchen. From the wine cellar, there was a small dumb waiter just to bring a bottle of wine upstairs.

Playing with locks and the bellows

At the graveyard, I was initially annoyed that they were cleaning up the change people had thrown at Jefferson's grave.

But after talking to the man, I felt special to have come at a time when a direct descendant of Thomas Jefferson was there to clean his ancestor's grave. The family still owns and maintains the graveyard... and are allowed to be buried there as well.