James Madison’s Montpelier

Take Home Montpelier Hospitality

Dolley Madison was known for her fine entertaining. She always served exquisite wine to her dinner guests. Last week, Montpelier introduced two private label Virginia wines that Mrs. Madison would have been proud to serve: the Montpelier Chardonnay and Montpelier Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Montpelier Chardonnay is a dry white wine that is crisp and fruity with no oak aging. It is an excellent complement to chicken, veal, fettuccine, and baked ham.

The Montpelier Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic red wine aged in white oak barrels. It is dry and clean with a spicy, dried berry taste. It complements lasagna, beef, lamb, and cheese.

The Montpelier Cabernet Sauvignon and Montpelier Chardonnay are produced and bottled by the award-winning Barboursville Vineyards. Visitors may purchase the new wines in the Montpelier Museum Shop.

Broadcasting from Montpelier

By now you probably know 2010 is a census year. Did you also know the Constitution calls for a census? Article I, Section 2 states, “The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.”

Last week, U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Groves visited Montpelier to shoot a video for the Census Web site. The Census Bureau released the video on James Madison’s 259th birthday.

The shoot happened in the Montpelier second floor library, where Madison researched past democracies. This research laid the framework for the Virginia Plan.

259 Years and Counting

On March 16, 1751 Nelly Conway Madison gave birth to her firstborn, James Madison, Jr. She had the baby at her parents’ Port Conway, Virginia home. Nelly or “Mother Madison” and her new baby returned  to James Sr. at Mount Pleasant later that spring.

259 years later, James Madison’s Montpelier commemorated the birthday of the “Father of the Constitution.” Former Deputy Secretary of Education Eugene Hickok addressed all who gathered to remember the late president. Quantico Marine Corps Base Chief of Staff Col. Thompson Gerke laid a wreath on Madison’s grave on behalf of President Obama.

Photo by Jen Fariello/The Montpelier Foundation.

The U.S. Marine Corps has a longstanding tradition of attending this annual ceremony, due to the Corps’ founding connection with James Madison. During America’s early history, pirates of the Barbary States located along the North African coast — which included Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli —preyed upon the merchant ships sailing the Mediterranean Sea. In fact, these terrorist actions had been ongoing for hundreds of years. Rather than confront the pirates, the United States and European governments paid “tributes” — extortion money — to the pirates for protection. Continue Reading…

Coming Down the Line

On the winding roads of Route 20 in Orange County, Virginia stands a century-old train depot, home to the local Montpelier Station, Virginia post office. On February 21, 2010, it became the home of James Madison’s Montpelier’s newest exhibit— The Montpelier Train Depot: In the Time of Segregation.

More than 200 people attended the February 21 opening. Emmy-award-winning journalist Juan Williams addressed the crowd. “This is a place of power…this is a place of life.…This is a place of teaching. This is a place of healing. This is a place of understanding. This is a place that can help us in terms of imagination…help understand what took place here… in terms of how we see each other across racial lines,” said Williams.

Workers laid the first tracks for the railroad line that runs past the Depot circa 1880. This was a time when trains were the fastest way to get anywhere, for both freight and passengers. In 1910, William duPont, owner of Montpelier, built the Depot to upgrade passenger and freight service. The Depot was constructed using plans from Southern Railway, with two waiting rooms – one for “white” passengers and one for “colored” passengers. Segregation was required by Virginia law. Continue Reading…

The Case of the Missing Posts at Willow Gate

Location of excavations that revealed Madison-era post holes for entry gate (please click on image to enlarge)

In between snow storms, the Montpelier Archaeology Department completed the Willow Gate excavations. We knew about a Madison-era gate present in this locale from a description by John H.B. Latrobe following his 1832 visit to Montpelier.  He described a high red gate hung upon white posts. During Madison’s day, such gates served a practical purpose to keep animals out of the grounds.  The gate also distinguished the formal environs of the mansion from the larger working plantation.

Over the past two months we searched for the Madison-era gateposts at the bottom of the hill, in front of the mansion.  In the end, we found three generations of 19th century post holes at Willow Gate. Through a deductive process we dated each  post to determine which are the remains of the Madison-era post.    Continue Reading…

Can’t Get Enough Dolley?

Tony Award nominee Eve Best as Dolley ©Kent Eames for WGBH

If you can’t wait for the March 1 debut of Dolley Madison: America’s First Lady on PBS’ American Experience you’re not alone.  Excitement has been building here at Montpelier since Middlemarch Films announced the documentary.  Anticipation really started to build when Middlemarch came to Montpelier in mid-June to film a couple of scenes!

While we can’t fastforward to March 1, we would be thrilled to have some likeminded Dolley fans join us for a special preview on February 4 at 12 p.m. at the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond.  Montpelier and the Virginia Historical Society will co-sponsor the event, which will feature a special appearance by the film’s producer and director, Muffie Meyer.  The preview is part of the Virginia Historical Society’s Banner Lecture Series.

The Virginia Historical Society is located at 428 N. Boulevard, Richmond, Virginia.  Reservations are not required. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $4 for children and students, and free for Virginia Historical Society members. We hope to see you there!

The Case of the Missing Painting

The Presidential Detective Story is well underway and we have already had some great finds. One of these is the painting  Pan –  Youths & Nymphs.¹ The painting recently returned to Montpelier. Here is the back story on its journey home:

Gerrit Van Honthorst, Pan, Youths & Nymphs, ca. 1630

Our curatorial team first saw Pan –  Youths & Nymphs listed in the anonymous document “Oil Paintings at Montpellier” (circa 1836-44). Next, the team found an 1846 newspaper article that describes the work hanging over a mantel in Dolley Madison’s Lafayette Square house in Washington, D.C. The article called it “a very old painting representing a group of maidens surprised by Pan while playing in a grove.”²

Then the trail went cold. We knew John Payne Todd (Dolley’s son) held a sale of her property nearly two years after her 1849 death.  A newspaper account following the sale noted at least one of the “large works” remained unsold. Could Pan – Youths & Nymphs be one of these paintings?  If so, where did it go?

Continue Reading…