Monticello Blog

In Jefferson’s time apples were especially valued for the making of cider.

Going for a fresh, lighter look in your living room this season?

Two paintings, two Founders, one (tested-by-politics) friendship

From writing the Declaration of Independence to commissioning the Louisiana Purchase, Thomas Jefferson is one of the most influential figures in our presidential history. But strides toward social and political freedom were not the only things he made relevant during his two terms. We have Jefferson's unique taste to thank for popularizing some of the most beloved foods in American culture—think ice cream, mac 'n' cheese and even french fries.

Before the era of Wii’s, Twitter, and Netflix, the Jefferson family entertained themselves with music, reading aloud, or scientific inquiry. As part of an ongoing campaign to restore Monticello’s interiors, curators recently acquired an air pump similar to Jefferson’s lost original.

In mid-September 1817, Thomas Jefferson was preparing to leave Poplar Forest and return home to Monticello, but he had a few errands to run first. He set off for Lynchburg, where he visited the shop of James Newhall and purchased what was perhaps his first and only pair of “ready-made” shoes. Unfortunately, they didn’t fit and Jefferson returned them with a somewhat exasperated note that got me to wondering: where did most people get their shoes, what did those shoes look like, and who made them?

Water supply to Monticello, the mountaintop home of Thomas Jefferson, has been a perpetual problem since its construction.

One of the emotional insights of the hit musical Hamilton is its portrayal of the passionate friendship between the protagonist and his brilliant, self-assured sister-in-law—Angelica Schuyler Church. What the show doesn't mention is that Church also pursued a long-term friendship with one of Alexander Hamilton's greatest political rivals—Thomas Jefferson.

A wood chip by itself is very modest. Small in size, light-weight, it could easily be lost or thrown away. Happily, the wood chip Thomas Jefferson cut from William Shakespeare’s chair during his 1786 trip to Stratford-upon-Avon comes with an explanatory note.