Monticello

This morning we got up early, checked out of our hotel, said goodbye to Williamsburg, and embarked on a journey to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, our third President and principal author of the Declaration of Independence. Set atop a picturesque hill in Charlottesville, Virginia. As we learned from our guide, Monticello means “little mountain” in Italian.

Once again, the students were divided into two groups. I will work on getting pictures from the other group. Once inside, we were able to explore Jefferson’s rooms filled with inventions, keepsakes, and knick/knacks. He liked gadgets. Our guide described him as our hoarding founding father. 😁

We saw the bed that he passed away in on July 4th, 1826. The same day our second president, John Adams passed. We learned that James Monroe, our 5th president, passed on July 4th, 1831. So, three of our first five presidents passed on Independence Day. An interesting anecdote.

Outside, we saw the beautifully preserved gardens and grounds. It was a beautiful morning and the view from the top was spectacular. We hiked down the mountain, passed Jefferson’s grave, to the bus. It was a nice hike on a beautiful day!

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