PBS: MONTICELLO
joeykoins
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While sitting here in my living room on my laptop, with the tube on, all of a sudden, It's the Thomas Jefferson's Monticello Building! Just working on an Jefferson Nickel. Lol. Pretty interesting story on the famous building. Inside the building looks amazing. PBS show, "Top 10 Buildings that changed America". Guess what? Monticello's front Steps all looked intact! They were FULL. 
"Jesus died for you and for me, Thank you,Jesus"!!!
--- If it should happen I die and leave this world and you want to remember me. Please only remember my opening Sig Line.5
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That's really cool.
Nice that they were full, but I'll bet they were CLEANED.
Not to far from Monticello race way.
The all-important (numismatically speaking) steps of the West Portico of Monticello weren't constructed until 1926. Before that was an earthen ramp, and (possibly) some wooden steps (although documentation is sparse). The home was constantly a work in progress during Jefferson's lifetime. After his death, to help settle his debts of about 2 million (today's) dollars , over 100 of his slaves were sold at auction from the West Portico, in a series of 5 sales.
Our family visited Monticello in 1968 when I was 13. I don't recall that much of the visit other than the building was in great shape for its age. I also remember a bed that was built between two rooms. If you got up on one side you were in one room, if you got up on the other side you were in another room. I also recall that the bed was really tiny by today's standards. Even as a young teen, it would have been small for me.
The other thing I distinctly remember was the clock in the entry hall. Driven by a pair of weights, the clock would run for a week on a single winding. The days were marked on the wall - as the weights dropped, they would signify the day. One thing probably drove Jefferson nuts because he was so meticulous.... There wasn't room on the wall to mark the seventh day as the weight would hit the floor. Easily solution though - cut a hole in the floor! Upon touring the lower floor, the guide made sure that you saw the name of the seventh day painted near the ceiling below right by the hole.
I wanted to buy some coins during the visit, but there wasn't anything of interest.
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
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Why doesn't it say Monticello on the grass?
I've been to Monticello three times when we lived in California ( when it was a nice state ) and
drove across country to see it. It was a wonderful place to visit and roam around to see such artifacts.
There are several other homes to visit close by, of other founders of our country as well.
If only they would install air conditioning! It gets really hot & humid in the summer.
I still have many photos and fond memories of the place .
R.I.P. Bear
My wife and I visited Monticello several years ago on a trip to DC and Virginia. It was quite interesting. The main house was small by Presidential estate standards, but the grounds and subterranean areas were quite extensive.
The one thing that really stuck with me was that Jefferson used to host foreign dignitaries in the modest dining room. There was a dumbwaiter which was used to deliver food on such occasions primarily so the help (slaves) would not overhear sensitive information of state.
As to Jefferson dying in debt, I know he bought the very finest French wines by the case. There were probably fewer opportunities for ex-presidents to cash in on their fame back then either.
Monticello is a great place to visit and learn. very worthwhile.
Well.. since the building has seven steps, none of the coins are technically full steps...
Cheers, RickO
Yeah, that's the next variety, the 7-step Jefferson! Lol
"Jesus died for you and for me, Thank you,Jesus"!!!
--- If it should happen I die and leave this world and you want to remember me. Please only remember my opening Sig Line.Visited here many years ago, a very interesting house. I vaguely recall reading somewhere that, because there were no pensions for ex-Presidents in those days, Jefferson was not well-off financially in his later years, and his home here fell into bad shape by the time of his death in 1826. Nice to see that it was restored / renovated after his death.
Oh there it is!
I too recall visiting Monticello as a child. Since I was only 5 years old I guess it was pretty impressive.
A few other things I remember about that family car trip were meeting a sharecropper in the South and pulling cotton out of the cotton balls in the field, being amazed at the automat in New York where you could look into little window doors and see pieces of pie to pull out after depositing a coin, and watching TV for the first time in my life on my cousins' TV in Detroit.
FWIW, I recently came across this photo of my cousins in Detroit taken on that visit. When I recently shared it with one of them she explained to me that the likely reason she was dressed as a nurse was because she had just gone through extended medical care for polio. Thanks to Rotary and Polio Plus that disease is all but eradicated in today's world.
I took was 13 when I visited Moncello, the clock was what I remembered the most. Gotta take my kids there soon.
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