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Travel Logs August 2014

The Tenacious Traveler

Charlottesville, Virgina – Mother of Presidents

By Victor Block

Part college town, part living history museum, Charlottesville adds life and color to important chapters of the nation’s past. The small city is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, surrounded by rugged Appalachian Range peaks and pastoral landscapes.

The gracious mansion is a perfect example of an 18th-century gentleman’s country estate. Its 33 rooms are filled with elegant furniture and architectural touches imported from Europe. In its heyday, a virtual Who’s Who of early American history dropped by to visit, including two James – Monroe and Madison, the latter accompanied by Dolley.

About 10 miles away stands a much simpler wood-frame cottage. It was built without a stove, well or bathroom facilities, and would have fit almost twice in the parlor of the much larger mansion. A newspaper article written at the time described its “meager complement of furniture.”

These two houses couldn’t be more different, nor could the men who once stayed in them – Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt. This diversity, which says much about the character of the two presidents, extends throughout Charlottesville, Virginia, and the countryside that surrounds it.

Part college town, part living history museum, Charlottesville adds life and color to important chapters of the nation’s past. The small city is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, surrounded by rugged Appalachian Range peaks and pastoral landscapes.

Agriculture has long been a staple of the area’s economy, and small farms, orchards and vineyards lie just beyond Charlottesville’s borders.

In that rural setting, the city of about 44,000 residents is an enclave of arts, culture and history. A good way to experience and enjoy all three is to stroll along the Historic Downtown Mall. The brick-paved pedestrian walkway combines the nostalgia of renovated historic buildings reminiscent of small-town Americana with more than 130 trendy shops and 30 restaurants, many with an outdoor cafe.

The street follows a route which during Colonial times connected Richmond with the Shenandoah Valley. It was called Three Notch’d Road, which referred to three nicks made in tree trunks to mark it.

A short stroll from the Mall is one of two places that, for many visitors, make Charlottesville synonymous with its most famous son, Thomas Jefferson. His many accomplishments included stints as governor, ambassador to France, secretary of state and the third president. Yet he placed high on his list of achievements founding the University of Virginia as an “Academical Village” available to qualified students “regardless of wealth, birth or other accidental condition or circumstances.”

Visitors to the sprawling campus see it much as it appeared when it opened for classes in 1825, with a faculty of eight and 68 students. Pavilions that skirt the expansive lawn still house rooms occupied by scholars and faculty. The Rotunda that overlooks the setting is a scaled-down version of the Pantheon in Rome.

Jefferson’s interest and genius in architecture is even more evident at Monticello, the plantation home which occupied much of his interest and activity over decades. Work began on the mansion in 1768, when Tom was 26 years old, and remodeling continued until his death in 1826.

Design features included ideas gathered during Jefferson’s several years living in Europe. They include dumbwaiters, which he saw in a Parisian café, skylights, French doors that open in tandem automatically and a seven-day wall clock which still chimes. In contrast with the elegance of Monticello is the tiny, modest cottage where Theodore Roosevelt decompressed from the pressures of official life while serving as president. It was purchased by his wife Edith who, like Teddy, cherished simple pleasures derived from nature.

The rustic retreat has been described as “the most unpretentious habitation ever owned by a president,” which says a lot about TR. Among personal touches are a chart listing birds that Roosevelt spotted during his stays at the cabin, and letters he wrote to his children decorated with sketches of cartoon-like figures.

Introductions to two other presidential homes in the Charlottesville area support Virginia’s nickname as “The Mother of Presidents.” Four of the first five presidents, and eight in all, were born in the state.

Guides leading tours of Montpelier, the home of James Madison, note his prominent place in history as, among other accomplishments, a member of the House of Representatives, delegate to the Continental Congress, secretary of state and fourth president. Strolling through the plantation house, I found even more meaningful his instrumental role in drafting both the Constitution and its first 10 amendments, and the fact that he authored important documents in the rooms where I was standing.

Madison’s prominence was equaled by that of his famous wife Dolley. She was known for her social graces and hospitality, which boosted her husband’s popularity. Dolley did much to define the proper role of the president’s wife, which led to the term “First Lady.” When James left the White House in 1817, he and Dolley returned to Montpelier where they lived out their final years.

The Ash Lawn-Highland plantation, which borders Monticello, was home to the fifth president. While serving as secretary of state, James Monroe negotiated the Louisiana Purchase, and the Monroe Doctrine that he established formed the cornerstone of America’s foreign policy for over a century.

Monroe purchased the estate at the urging of his close friend Thomas Jefferson. James referred to the small house, which was added to by later owners, as his “cabin castle.” Visitors are immersed in the atmosphere of a working farm, with demonstrations of spinning, weaving, open-hearth cooking and other early American pursuits.  A setting very different from plantation homes, and the hustle and bustle of Charlottesville, is tucked into a horseshoe bend of the James River about 20 miles south of the city. The village of Scottsville (population about 600) served as a local ferry crossing and river port during the 18th century. Flat-bottomed “bateaux” boats transported tobacco, grain and miscellaneous cargo to Richmond, and returned with clothing, furniture and other goods imported from England and France.

A combination of events, including the Civil War and advent of railroads, undermined the town’s importance and left it a sleepy shadow of its former self. However, it retains historical touches well worth experiencing.

A little gem of a museum recounts the story of the town and river. A deteriorating warehouse, which in the mid-19th century stored grain, tobacco and other produce awaiting shipment in river boats, overlooks the Canal Basin Square adjacent to the river and the canal beside it. Exhibits in the square include a packet boat, which over 150 years ago plied the James River, and a list of tariffs charged for transporting cargo and passengers. Among fares were “White person, 12 and older, 1 cent per mile” and “Coloured persons, 5 and up, 1/2 cent a mile.”

No trip to the Charlottesville area would be complete without at least one stop at a winery, and even here the influence of Thomas Jefferson is felt – or, rather, tasted. He began planting vineyards close to Monticello, and dreamed of producing wines equal to those of the Old World. However, a series of mishaps and misfortunes doomed his effort, and for some 200 years Virginia’s infant wine industry did not achieve distinction.

That changed recently as a new generation of winemakers began to produce improved vintages. Virginia now has at least 230 wineries and if Jefferson’s dream of competing in quality with the best that France and Italy offer is yet to be completely fulfilled, he would be proud to know that his beloved native state is the fifth largest producer in the country.

Jefferson’s unusual failure as a maker of wine pales in comparison to his achievements, and those of his famous neighbors, who were among the founders of our country. A visit to Charlottesville brings their and other stories to life in a setting as varied as were those early leaders.

For more information, call (877) 386-1103 or log onto visitcharlottesville.org.

 

Victor Block recommends that if you can’t visit a destination you’d like to, read about it. He’s happy to be your eyes and ears.

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