Thomas Jefferson spent 33 years in the public's eye after writing the US Declaration of Independence. According to his writings, Jefferson made it known he preferred the quiet country life that his home in rural Virginia offered. Jefferson retreated to Monticello as often as possible during his days as Congressman, Vice-President, President and especially after he retired from public office in 1809.
What a treat to visit Jefferson's home in Charlottesville Virginia, his life philosophy expressed through architecture and landscape. It is known that Monticello was first occupied by Jefferson in 1770 and remained his principle residence till his death on July 4th 1826 (50 years to the day after signing the Declaration of Independence). Apparently it took some 200 employees, mostly slaves, to maintain the house and grounds. Workers contributed to the functioning of blacksmith shop, smokehouse, storehouses, carpenter's shop, kitchen, laundry, wine cellars and, of course, the 1,000 acres of plantation (crop cultivation).
Touring Monticello revealed to me how much Jefferson appreciated the innovative mind, as we were able to see items such as the spherical sundial and outdoor barometer. Inside, a machine to replicate the copying of books, clocks that operated for a week without winding, dumb-waiters, double-glass windows, automatic door openers and various other inventions were intended to simplify life at Monticello.
Central to Jefferson's philosophy is that of learning, demonstrated by his collection of thousands of books along with items of culture and nature that decorated the walls of his home. His
temple of knowledge, the largest personal library collection in the US at the time, was eventually sold to the US government to help populate the Library of Congress during the days of the American Revolution. There are, however, a number of his books that remain on the shelves at Monticello which is intriguing to know that Jefferson picked up and studied these volumes!
On our tour, I learned the gardens that surround Monticello arose from Jefferson's curiosity about the natural world. As described in the literature given to visitors, "The gardens became a living laboratory for the study of plants from around the world." It is interesting to see how his love for the oval shape (as seen in his buildings) made its way to the layout of his informal landscaped gardens. As is also evident at the University of Virginia, the serpentine walls and walks help create oval-shaped garden areas.
From the wine cellars to gardens to terraces leading to the outdoor pavilions, there is little doubt that Monticello was one of a kind. As our tour guide mentioned, most (if not all) homes in Virginia at the time were small one-to-two room log homes so this 21 room residence with extended gardens on a sprawling 13,000 acre estate was definitely a vision for its day. Even though Jefferson died financially destitute, one cannot argue that he lived a life appreciating the marvels of the world around him.
