You are currently browsing the Montpelier category.
Almost everyone knows what it’s like to prepare for a big event: a milestone birthday, wedding, graduation, etc. The host agonizes over guest lists, seating charts, entertainment, menus, etc. for months. There seems to be an endless list of things to do before the big day.
The hours leading up the party evaporate. Before you know it, you’re right in the middle of this celebration you planned and anticipated for months. Suddenly, it’s over. Just a few short hours flew by in an instant. You feel just the slightest bit of a letdown, even though your plans turned out perfectly. 
This is exactly how we feel about Constitution Day. We spend months planning the perfect day to commemorate the Constitution’s signing. We receive delighted visitors for hours. Then it’s all over in what seems like a matter of minutes. Another Constitution Day came and went, but we feel just slightest twinge of sadness, knowing it’s all over until next year.
We are happy to announce that we discovered a way to fix the letdown problem. Instead of Constitution Day, we’ll celebrate Constitution Month! That will never end, right? Continue Reading…
Posted 6 days, 12 hours ago. 2 comments
A runner’s checklist:
Sneakers: check
Water bottle: check
Comfy shorts & tee: check
iPod: check
A copy of the Constitution: ?
Wait, a copy of the Constitution? Of course! If you’re going to race in the Constitution Run at Montpelier, why wouldn’t you be uber-prepared and bring along a copy of the Constitution?! 
We’re inviting runners of all ages to come to Montpelier on September 12 to be a part of this first-ever event. The Constitution Run will be a 5K. There will also be special races for kids and dogs too. Kids ages 5–10 (and their parents) can race in Dolley’s Dash, a 1K designed for little track stars of all skill levels. Dogs and their owners can trot together in the 1K Dogathon. We have a feeling we might hear “heel” a lot during this race… Continue Reading…
Beginning this weekend, James Madison’s Montpelier visitors will see a couple of familiar faces when they visit the home of the Father of the Constitution. During Madison’s presidency, James and Dolley always left the muggy Washington heat in favor of Montpelier, their beloved country estate. James and Dolley Madison will once again greet visitors at their storied home July 24 through mid-September. Dolley will receive guests on Saturdays and James will be at home on Sundays.
Photo by Jen Fariello
Guests may call on Mr. and Mrs. Madison in the mansion’s south wing. “Dolley Madison’s Salon” will be held on Saturdays from 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Mrs. Madison, in full costume, will chat with guests about her husband’s role in crafting the Constitution. She became an expert on this subject during his retirement, when she helped James organize his papers from the Constitutional Convention. Continue Reading…
Posted 1 month, 2 weeks ago. 11 comments
It’s the most frequently asked question at the beginning of the school year: “What did you do on your summer vacation?” When they return to their colleges and universities this fall, 25 students will say, “I dug in the dirt and I get to put it on my resume.” These students live on the historic grounds of James Madison’s Montpelier where they dig side-by-side with professional archaeologists to find the lost Madison Stable Quarter.
This isn’t a typical classroom or internship. It teaches students basic archaeology skills and they dig right alongside our staff members. Continue Reading…
Posted 2 months, 2 weeks ago. 1 comment
It’s been said that behind every great man is a woman. In James Madison’s case, that fabulous woman was Dolley Madison. This Thursday, May 20, marks Dolley Madison’s 242nd birthday. Montpelier will celebrate with free cake in the Visitor Center, beginning at 11:00 a.m. Also, if you were born on May 20, Thursday is your lucky day because your admission to Montpelier will be free.
Now, let’s talk about just who Dolley Madison was. In her time, she was the most popular person in the country. What made her so famous?
The short answer is Dolley Madison was Washington’s first female power player. Her famous “squeezes” (very popular parties) helped political adversaries broker civil compromises in a social setting. She also showed extraordinary courage. When the British invaded Washington in 1814, she rescued George Washington’s portrait, with the help of her slave Paul Jennings, just before the White House burned. Continue Reading…
Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago. Add a comment
If you come to Montpelier today and take a house tour, you might be surprised when you enter the Dining Room. Strips of reproduction woodblock wallpaper hang on the Dining Room walls. Each has a very busy pattern. Some of the patterns are accompanied by the border papers frequently seen in early-19th-century wallpapers. So what’s going on?
We couldn’t find any evidence of paint or white wash on the walls. This means the Dining Room, like the Drawing Room, was probably papered. Visitor accounts tell us Dolley Madison served a variety of sumptuous meals there. They also say the Dining and Drawing Room walls boasted a variety of art. Incredibly, none of these accounts tells us anything about the walls under the art!
Continue Reading…
Posted 4 months, 1 week ago. 6 comments
We have been talking about it for a year and it’s almost ready… Montpelier’s Demonstration Forest Trail will finally open on April 17! The Trail is an outdoor exhibit that shows the best ways to manage a healthy, sustainable forest through “demonstration sites” along the trail. The Montpelier Demonstration Forest Trail runs along a one-mile loops that extends from the James Madison Landmark Forest. 
To celebrate, Montpelier will host a day of family fun with trail tours, an opening ceremony with Former U.S. Senator John Warner, reception, and barbeque dinner. The mansion and new Children’s Getaway will stay open until 7:00 p.m.
In addition to his career as a U.S. Senator, Warner also served as an assistant U.S. attorney, Undersecretary of the Navy, and Secretary of the Navy. He has also supported numerous conservation measures. The National Wildlife Federation named him its 2009 Conservationist of the Year.
Admission to Montpelier, the opening ceremony, and reception will be $16 for adults; $8 for children 6-14; $10 for Virginia Garden Club Tour Ticketholders with tickets; and free for Children 5 and under and Friends of Montpelier. The barbeque dinner will be $25 for adults and $10 for children 14 and under. For more information, please visit the Montpelier Web site.
We hope lots of old and new friends will join us for a great day of outdoor fun! Next week, we will post an insider’s view of the new forest, so stay tuned!
Posted 4 months, 4 weeks ago. Add a comment
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.
Posted 5 months, 1 week ago. Add a comment
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.
Posted 5 months, 3 weeks ago. Add a comment
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…
Posted 5 months, 3 weeks ago. 1 comment
