Madison Murals, Montpelier.

In the Visitor Center at James Madison's Montpelier, I noticed two huge paintings high on the walls. The first one shows James Madison reading the Bill of Rights to Congress in 1789.  It looked a bit dark in the light that we had so I made a brightened view of the main subject. The mural was painted by William Woodward.

Across the room and over another doorway is a mural of Dolley Madison preparing to leave the White House in 1814 as the British approached. Here she is directing the removal of a painting of George Washington to take it to safety. This turned out to be a good decision because the British burned the building.

You can read about First Lady Dolley Madison taking control of the evacuation in the Smithsonian Magazine, March 2010. There is also a close-up of this painting.

Also worth reading is the story of James Madison's role in the writing of the Constitution and (of course) The Bill of Rights. The Montpelier website also features articles on Madison and the Constitution.

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Montpelier Station

When we left the estate of James Madison, we happened to cross a bridge just as a freight train passed under it. Behind the train we could see the depot. We drove out to the main road and parked on the other side of the depot building. 

I've passed this building many times because when I lived in Northern Virginia, this was on my way to Charlottesville. I think I stopped and viewed the building once but that was before it was restored. It is still in use as a post office, but there is also an exhibit at the end facing the parking lot. It shows the appearance of the station in the 1910's, when segregation was commonplace in Virginia. The separate doors for "White" and "Colored" have been preserved.

"We tend to shy away from our past... we should face up to it, live with it, otherwise it will live with you, and haunt you, and distort you, for all your days."

~ John Hope Franklin, Historian.

A tabletop sign by the tracks explains that this was a "Flag Stop" where the train only stopped if there were passengers or freight to get on or off. It also explains how the duPont family used the station to supply their large estate. They would order an entire carload of feed for their horses and have it unloaded here.

At the other end of the parking lot is a Virginia Historical Marker.

The Madison-Barbour Rural Historic District, encompassing 32,520 acres of the Piedmont, has been inhabited for more than 12,000 years and contains almost 200 identified prehistoric archaeological sites. Nearby was the likely location of Stegara, a ca. 1600 Siouan-speaking Manahoac village on the Rapidan River. The rich soil that drew colonists by the 1720s is well suited for diversified agriculture, including grains, vineyards, livestock, and forestry. This land, and the free and enslaved laborers who cultivated it, fostered the prosperity of families such as the Madisons and Barbours, who contributed state and national leaders to the fledgling United States.

Across the road (SR 20) is this building that still has a sign for Esso gas. I remember when this building was the Visitors Center and Gift Shop for the Montpelier estate.

See a list of interpretive signs at Montpelier Station on HMDB. 

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James Madison's Montpelier

Near Orange, Virginia.

We visited Montpelier last week. It's been years since we were there, and sections of the house that were added by the Dupont family in the 20th century have been torn down since then. Also painted stucco that covered the original red bricks has been removed.

The house is still large (23 rooms!) and the grounds are still lovely. This was home to James Madison, our 4th president, and his wife Dolley.

The house tour emphasizes James Madison's role in shaping the U.S. Constitution, but also reveals his struggle with the institution of slavery. He used many enslaved people on his plantation but was active in a plan to send slaves who wanted to leave to the colony of Liberia where they would be free. (Few wanted to take the uncertain journey though.) His wish to avoid separating slave families fell apart after his death because his stepson ran up huge debts that forced his widow Dolley to sell off people. An exhibit in the basement interprets this painful story.

Rear View of Montpelier.

Montpelier's Fences and Gardens.

James Madison's Montpelier, Post #3 of 3.

Garden Gate.

Montpelier is in Orange County, Virginia. It is a National Trust for Historic Preservation property.

James and Dolley Madison had gardens but the formal garden was planted during the early 20th century when the duPont family owned the property. August is not the best month to visit the garden because many flowers had faded from the heat, but we can go back. The gardens and grounds are free to visit.

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Farm Buildings at Montpelier

After touring James Madison's home and garden, we started to leave the property but I spotted a big green barn and turned down a lane to take a picture of it. Our map showed that the road looped around and came back out so I drove down it and saw some other interesting buildings. I believe these are from the time when the Dupont family owned the property. They had a dairy farm and a huge horse facility where races are still held.

There are also some modern buildings that I did not think to photograph, but there is an educational center devoted to furthering learning about the constitution.  

Slave Cemetery at Belle Grove

Behind the Big House

Belle Grove Plantation

Middletown, Virginia

This new sign starts off:

The fenced area within the orchard is believed to be a burial ground for some of Belle Grove’s enslaved African workers. As is typical at many such cemeteries, simple uninscribed stones mark each grave. Slaves at Belle Grove provided agricultural and household labor including as blacksmiths, drivers, cooks, carpenters, and mill operators. It is possible that buried here are one or more of the first 15 slaves at Belle Grove, who were transferred from Montpelier with Nelly Madison’s marriage to Isaac Hite, Jr. in 1783.

On the right side of the marker we see a copy of a deed signed by James Madison, Sr., father of Nellie Madison Hite and her famous brother James Madison, Jr., who became president in 1809. In the document, the senior Madison conveys 15 slaves to Hite in consideration of the "intermarriage which has taken place."

Link: Article on Slavery at Belle Grove