Day 33 - 7/23

Today we visited Thomas Jefferson's estate, Monticello, meaning little mountain. The surrounding area was rolling hills covered in green. While the humidity may have been less than desired, the gardens and plants outside the estate made it worthwhile. We took a tour that led us throughout the home. Jefferson was a very intelligent person who believed that knowledge can change the human condition for the better. We saw his actual library and some of the books he owned and used. He also made a rotatable book reader so that he could consult up to five books and papers at a time. Jefferson also wrote over 19,000 letters during his life. He had a machine that would make a copy of the letter as Jefferson was writing it. He would then send the letter and file his copy. They had a kid's center where one could try a reproduction of that machine. My handwriting didn't turn out as elegant as Jefferson's but it was fun to use. It made me grateful for Word today. Jefferson studied classic architecture a lot when building his house and incorporated many neoclassical designs. This included a rounded dome on top and Doric columns. He also had a dumbwaiter in the sides of his fireplace so that his slaves below could send him wine. There was also a clock that was attached to a series of cannonballs that would go lower and tell the day of the week. There wasn't enough room to hold all of the days so Saturday is in the basement.

We also took a tours of the gardens and one of Mulberry Row where the slaves lived and worked. For the garden tour, our tour guide identified many plants that were around when Jefferson lived. She also told us that Jefferson loved to farm and found great pleasure in doing so. When he would have visitors, they would bring him a plant or a seedling of a tree as a gift. On the slave tour, we saw some of the foundations of the slaves' small homes. The slaves would also sell Jefferson extra food they grew on their own farms for money. Then that money could be used to buy new dresses or a luxury like sugar.