In the early nineteenth century, many fashionable men and women including Napoleon Bonaparte, Henry Clay, Queen Charlotte of England (wife of George III), and Dolley Madison dipped snuff. The nicotine stimulant made from ground tobacco leaves was typically stored in a small highly decorated box made of silver, tortoise shell, or other decorative material. Margaret Bayard Smith once said of Dolley, “Her snuff-box had a magic influence, and seemed as perfect a security from hostility, as a participation of bread and salt is among many savage tribes. For who could partake of its contents, offered in a manner so gracious, and retain a feeling inimical to its owner?” Currently on display in the Grills Gallery at Montpelier, Marion duPont Scott, Montpelier’s last private owner, bequeathed Dolley’s silver snuffbox to the National Trust for Historic Preservation upon her death in 1983.
Recent research by Montpelier’s curators has uncovered previously unknown information about the snuffbox, namely its maker, Charles A. Burnett of Georgetown. This new discovery fortuitously coincides with the 244th anniversary of Dolley Madison’s birth, May 20. A hand-written note in the object’s file concerning an unidentified maker’s mark on the interior of the snuffbox was the first clue. Objects made of silver are traditionally stamped with several marks that provide future scholars with significant information about where and when the piece was made, as well as by whom.
During previous examinations, it was noted that this piece was unmarked, because there were no visible stamps or maker’s marks on the exterior surface. The note provided a clue that a mark of three block-letter initials, “CAB,” was stamped on the interior of the snuffbox. A recent examination of the snuffbox revealed three marks on the bottom interior surface.
The “CAB” stamp was the maker’s mark of Charles A. Burnett (1769-1849), a well known Georgetown silversmith who produced wares for the Madisons at the President’s House and the Seven Buildings. Surviving receipts show that Burnett provided the Madisons with a wine funnel, punch strainers, chamber sticks, flatware, sugar tongs, and curtain pins. Thomas Jefferson, Henry Clay, and other prominent residents of Washington also patronized Burnett. He was active for over fifty years, beginning in Fredericksburg, Virginia, then moving to Alexandria, and finally to Georgetown in 1796. From 1796 until 1806, Burnett partnered with John Rigden as Burnett & Rigden. In 1815, Burnett was commissioned to produce the skippet, or small silver box, to protect the wax seal on the Treaty of Ghent, the document that effectively ended the War of 1812. The plain skippet, measuring 3.25 inches, held a wax impression of the 1782 Great Seal of the United States, and is currently housed in the Public Records Office in London.
Posted May 20, 2012 at 10:45 pm. Add a comment
Looking for something to do this weekend? Montpelier has your ticket for family fun!
Civil War Living History 
May 18-May 20 (Friday through Sunday)
Join re-enactors for a living history this weekend at the Montpelier Civil War Camp. Re-enactors from the Third Regiment of the Army of Northern Virginia will bring to life the camp that General Samuel McGowan’s troops occupied during the winter of 1863-1864. The re-enactors will construct huts like the ones McGowan’s men lived in, using similar tools and techniques. Also, see weapons demonstrations and drills throughout the weekend. Camp hours are 10:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. on Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 8:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Happy Birthday, Dolley!
Visit Dolley in the mansion on her birthday!
May 20 (Sunday)
Celebrate Dolley Madison’s birthday with a visit to Montpelier! Enjoy birthday cake and punch in the Visitor Center at Noon. Then, visit Dolley in the Constitution Room of the mansion, beginning at 2:00 p.m. Also, if you share Dolley’s name or birthday, you will enjoy the gift of free admission!
Posted May 18, 2012 at 10:00 am. Add a comment
The Center for the Constitution at James Madison’s Montpelier runs both the District of Columbia and Virginia We the People programs. Both the DC and Virginia teams competed at the recent 2012 We the People National Finals, which tests students on their knowledge of the Constitution. Our congratulations go to the Cesar Chavez Public Charter School for Public Policy—Parkside Campus students in DC, and to the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies students in Virginia for their stellar performances.
After three days of intense competition, nearly 1,500 high school students sit in the George Mason University Center for the Arts, along with over 1,000 parents, teachers, and volunteers, eagerly awaiting the results of the 2012 We the People National Finals. The mood is excited, nervous, and a bit giddy. The auditorium is alive with the jitters of the top 10 state teams that just finished competing on Capitol Hill not four hours previously.
After months of preparation, it comes down to this moment: the awards ceremony. Who will be crowned the Constitution victor?
Unable to sit still while they await the speaker who marks the start of the ceremony, random groups stand up to dance to the music, cheered on by their fellow competitors. When that is no longer entertaining, they start the wave.
***
Saturday, April 28, and Sunday, April 29 saw the qualifying rounds of competition. Fifty-six teams from across the country, each broken down into six groups, or units, of students, competed in front of panels of judges on their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution. From the philosophical and historical foundations of the American political system and how the Framers created the Constitution, to how the Constitution has been changed and shaped American institutions and practices, to the rights protected in the Bill of Rights and the challenges that face American constitutional democracy in the 21st century, these students systematically debunked every stereotype of American teenagers. They were prepared. They were confident. They knew more about the Constitution and the American founding than any person you could pick off of the street. In short, they were leaders—and the very leaders we need to guide this country in the future.
After the qualifying rounds, the top ten teams were announced, based on the judges’ scores. Classes from Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington all regrouped on Capitol Hill to begin a 3rd day of intense competition to determine the national champion.
***
We are now all together in this room asking ourselves the same question: who’s it going to be?
We stand for the national anthem, sung by students from Arizona, and for the Pledge of Allegiance, led by two students from the Cesar Chavez Public Charter School for Public Policy’s Parkside Campus, who represented the District of Columbia in the competition. They follow “…with liberty and justice for all” with a shout: “Go USA!” The crowd erupts.
We honor our teachers and coaches with plaques and applause. These dedicated people went above and beyond the call of duty when they agreed to coach a national We the People team. It is to them that we all owe a debt of gratitude for molding these students into the scholars and leaders they have become.
It’s time. Virginia’s team from Maggie Walker Governor’s School took the title last year. The jitters turn to silence, thick with anticipation.
10th place … Washington state. Go Tahoma Senior High School!
9th place … North Carolina. Virginia’s southern neighbors from Northwest Guilford High School really shined!
8th place … Alabama. Great work, Vestavia Hills High School!
7th place … Florida. We the People veteran school Our Lady of Lourdes Academy made a fine showing!
6th place … Colorado. Congratulations, Denver East High School!
5th place … Indiana. Munster High School really wowed the judges!
4th place … New Jersey. Awesome job, East Brunswick High School!
[Virginia made the top 3!]
3rd place … California. Way to go, Arcadia High School!
[Our hands are shaking...]
2nd place … Virginia! We are so proud of the Maggie Walker students!
1st place … Oregon! A well-deserved win for an impressive team! Great job!
***
As each team makes its way to the stage, we are reminded that there is more than one winner here. Each and every student in the auditorium won when they dedicated themselves to learning about the American founding and knowing the rights and responsibilities of citizens. Each volunteer here wins for giving up his or her time for the students and for listening to their impressive testimonies. Above all else, and for reasons even yet to be seen, we all won, because we know that the future of this country could not be in better hands.
Congratulations to all of the We the People National Finals competitors. And our distinct admiration goes to the Virginia and Washington, DC teams for all they have accomplished.
For more information on the DC and Virginia We the People programs, visit the Center for the Constitution’s website.
Posted May 16, 2012 at 1:54 pm. Add a comment
Slave quarters at Montpelier
The Archaeology team has begun its excavations at the quarters for field slaves, located just below the visitor center. We are searching for the remains of the homes for farm slaves who lived in this area from the late 1700s-1844. Back in 2002. when we were planning for the construction of the visitor center, we located a very well preserved farm complex dating back to the Madison era. Spread over 15 acres, metal detector and shovel test pit surveys allowed archaeologists to locate half a dozen slave homes, a barn (mentioned in an 1871 magazine article), and several work areas. As part of our larger four-year archaeological study of the Montpelier slave community, we are excavating several homes of the farm workers located in this area.
Archaeologists started excavating at the quarter for field slaves just below the Montpelier Visitor Center (click image for more information)
So far, we have opened nearly a dozen units and are finding lots of artifacts dating to the early 19th century–cut nuts, English refined ceramics, wine bottle glass, and animal bone. Our goal is to establish the location of the structure(s) in this area and the density of artifacts suggests we are close. The most likely house form at the farm complex was a basic log structure with a stick and mud chimney. Other than the hearth (an area of burnt clay), these structures are incredibly elusive, so it will likely take some exploration to begin to locate the exact position of these homes. We have a lot of work to do this summer, so please visit us in the field. We have two Expedition programs over the next two weeks. If you are interested in attending a program to help us find these slave homes, please contact us at mreeves@montpelier.org!
New interpretive path through the South Yard leading from the rear lawn to the visitor center.
In other news, with all of the timber-frame structures complete in the South Yard, we installed a path leading from the rear lawn of the mansion, through the South Yard, past the hands-on tent, and back to the visitor center. The path is composed of recycled tires that are dyed to resemble mulch. It is bound with a polyurethane binder similar to what we used for the stone paths at the mansion. This path is laid directly above the existing root mat, and protects the underlying archaeology. In the South Yard, we have arranged the new signs that provide background on the enslaved community along the paths.
Over the next three months, we will host two university field schools at the quarters for field slaves. Please stay tuned to see our progress, and if you are in the area, please come by for a visit. In addition, we are still looking for participants for our August-October Expeditions. Take a week-long excavation vacation and help us rediscover the Madison plantation!
Posted May 16, 2012 at 12:07 pm. Add a comment
April 21-28, Montpelier will celebrate the Garden Club of Virginia’s Historic Garden Week along with sister historic sites and landmarks across the commonwealth. The Orange County Tour, entitled “Mr. Madison’s Neighborhood,” includes stops at James Madison’s Montpelier, Somerset Plantation, Mayhurst Inn, and Woodley.
Similar in architectural design to Montpelier, Somerset Plantation was the home of Sarah Macon, James Madison’s sister, and her husband, Thomas Macon. The Mayhurst property, formerly known as Howard Place, was the residence of the Madisons’ friends and neighbors, Charles and Jane Taylor Howard. It was the Howards who owned Fanny Gordon, the wife of Madison’s slave Paul Jennings, and their five children. Col. John Willis then commissioned the current structure on the eve of the Civil War. Woodley was the home of Madison’s brother Ambrose and his wife Mary Willis Lee. The two wings at Woodley were added by Madison’s favorite niece, Nelly Madison Willis. Our friends at the James Madison Museum are also holding a plant sale from April 28 -29 with a guest lecture by Dolley Madison scholar, Holly Shulman, on the 29th. This year, Earth Day 2012 also falls handily within Garden Week and offers a time to celebrate nature’s beauty while being mindful of the continual need for environmental stewardship. Continue Reading…
Posted April 22, 2012 at 6:47 pm. Add a comment
In honor of the 74th anniversary of Battleship’s victory at Aintree and the long legacy of the duPont family at Montpelier, a collection of additional notable duPont objects are now on display in the William duPont Gallery at the Montpelier Visitor Center.
On March 25, 1938, Battleship, Marion duPont Scott’s stallion, became the first American-bred horse to win the British Grand National at Aintree (see video reel here). To date, Battleship is the only horse to reign victorious at both the American (1934) and English (1938) Grand National steeplechase races. Several equestrian artifacts, including Marion duPont Scott’s hunting crop with hound whip and spurs and a Montpelier Horse Show trophy, celebrate Montpelier’s longstanding racing legacy. In addition, a collection of portraits of William duPont, Jr. (Marion duPont Scott’s brother) and personal effects from his dressing table—including a pill box, comb, and brush—are on display.
The William duPont Gallery is open to all Montpelier visitors during normal business hours.
Posted April 14, 2012 at 6:25 pm. 1 comment
The vision of forest sustainability, as imagined by James Madison at Montpelier, stood in contrast to the wanton resource extraction he observed in the early 1800s. Today, those same forests have not only recovered, they are sustainably managed and boast the Commonwealth of Virginia’s first smartphone tree ID trail. Trees along the trail display identification signs that contain QR codes—barcodes embedded with additional information which can be viewed when scanned with a smartphone. Continue Reading…
Posted April 10, 2012 at 4:49 pm. Add a comment
One of the most oft-repeated yet ill-cited pieces of Madison lore suggests Dolley Madison instituted the famous Easter egg roll on the White House lawn. When the tale appeared in published monograph, it was often paired with such qualifying phrases as “according to tradition” or “as the story goes.” Generally, if cited at all, the footnote simply directs the reader to another twentieth century history of first ladies or on Easter itself, further adding to the confusion of the origins of this story.
According to Dolley biographer Ethel Stephens Arnett, it was son John Payne Todd who encouraged Dolley to have an Easter egg roll (although some assert it was an egg hunt). After he “heard or read about an egg hunt or roll” as practiced by early Egyptians, Payne encouraged his mother to inaugurate a similar tradition for “all of her little friends” in Washington, D.C. As Arnett tells the story, Dolley responded favorably to Payne’s suggestion and dyed hundreds of hard-boiled eggs with her own hands. Unfortunately, there is no period documentation—newspaper accounts, diary entries, letters, or otherwise—to support this fragment of Dolley lore. Furthermore, writers cannot even agree on the location of the inaugural egg roll/hunt; some allege it happened on the White House lawn while others claim an initial celebration on the lawn of the Capitol.
Most historians agree that it was under Rutherford B. Hayes’ administration that the annual Easter egg roll began when First Lady Lucy hosted the roll on the White House lawn in April 1878. This year the White house is celebrating 134 years of fun with its annual Easter egg roll on Monday, April 9.
Posted April 6, 2012 at 3:08 pm. Add a comment
On March 16, we celebrated a very special birthday at the home of the Father of the Constitution! Montpelier welcomed friends from all over to celebrate James Madison’s 261st birthday!
The day began with the launch of ConText, an online, crowd-sourced commentary of
“Notes of Debates on the Federal Convention of 1787.” Madison carefully created the “Notes” as a record of the Constitutional Convention’s proceedings for future generations.
ConText offers users a broad range of options including:
• A current events section, which relates the “Notes” to today’s constitutional issues, as
well as historical and theoretical sections that provide insights into the debates at the
Convention
• An encyclopedia of people and terms that users may add to and edit to advance all users’
understanding of particular topics
• Searches by topic, keyword, or tag Continue Reading…
Posted March 29, 2012 at 6:25 pm. Add a comment
Metal detector survey of slave site below visitor center
This past week twelve metal detector experts from Minelab Americas attended a week-long metal detecting program to help archaeologists search for plantation sites across the property. The program also provided the participants an opportunity to learn about how archaeologists use metal detectors to discover and define archaeological sites. This week-long program is part of a larger national effort to help metal detectorists and archaeologists find common ground in the preservation and discovery of historic sites.
Metal detecting for new sites in woods at Montpelier.
The week was tremendously successful on both fronts—discovering sites and finding common ground between the two groups. In our metal detector surveys of Montpelier’s East Woods (for those familiar with Mud Camp, the area of the Sheep Barn) we covered an area of approximately forty acres and discovered three slave quarters dating to the 1820s-60s and a late 18th century barn/work area. We also performed metal detector surveys in a 300ft x 300ft area in the fields below the Visitor Center that had been identified by our resident metal detector expert, Lance Crosby. In this area, we located three dense clusters of metal artifacts that suggest three slave quarters. We selectively sampled several squares and revealed artifacts dating to the 1790s-1830s–the “sweet spot” for our current study of the Madison-era slave quarters.
Group shot at the Montpelier mansion.
In the process of the week’s work, the archaeology staff and the metal detecting experts formed a common bond. The participants found a passion for our most common metal artifact—the common nail. Metal detectorists learned how nails can help identify the date for a site and how the site was abandoned. In addition, the archaeology crew found a new appreciation for how metal detectors can make rapid discoveries of sites on the property—while maintaining the rigorous methodology that archaeologists must use. We all found the hobby of metal detecting can be very successfully joined with the scientific method and approach of archaeology. In the end, we all found common ground to stand on, and in the end established friendships that we will cherish.
Posted March 21, 2012 at 12:30 pm. 2 comments
During previous examinations, it was noted that this piece was unmarked, because there were no visible stamps or maker’s marks on the exterior surface. The note provided a clue that a mark of three block-letter initials, “CAB,” was stamped on the interior of the snuffbox. A recent examination of the snuffbox revealed three marks on the bottom interior surface.
