Never a Wrong Turn (Ever): Shenandoah National Park and Monticello

We left Pennsylvania on an icy morning. We drove west to interstate 81 and then south. This took us through Maryland for 13 minutes and West Virginia 27 minutes. In Virginia we detoured over to the Shenandoah National Park and drove down the Skyline Drive. This road travels along the top of a ridge with spectacular views both directions. The Shenandoah Valley is covered with small rolling hills which are green even in December. While driving along the ridge, I looked up to see a black bear standing on the wall at the edge of the road. But I couldn't move fast enough to get a picture. The Valley was 15 degrees warmer than the ridge, and on the ridge in the shade were lots of ice formations.

We drove back down to the valley to camp for the night. The next morning we drove over the mountains and to Monticello through some of the worst fog I have every seen. Can you tell me what is in the above picture? I can't say either! Unfortunately, the fog continued into Monticello. Jefferson built his house on top of a hill so that he could see his lands that spread out for four miles. I am glad he could see them, but we couldn't.

We toured through Jefferson's last version of his house. (We were not allowed to take pictures in the main house.) When he first build the house, it had rectangular rooms. After serving the country in France for several years, he returned to remodel. Many of the rooms then become octagonal with skylights. He used the available light everywhere possible to light the house. He had his bed built in an alcove between his office and bedroom spaces. Depending on his mood, he could get up and work, or get up and sit in the bedroom.

Jefferson was quite the inventor. He had a clock that had a cable with balls on it. The balls would go farther down the wall over time, and he used this to show the days of the week. The only problem was that Saturday had to be in the basement. He also had cables attached to a french door set, so that when you open one door, the other opened as well.

Front column ageing over time.

Detail under the eves.

Stables connected to the house.

Ice house.

The kitchen was located off the "basement" corridor. Notice the several holes on the bricks. This allowed the cooks to use different levels of heat for each pan. Small or larger fires would be built in the bottom holes. Off the same corridor were two privies, a brewery, a wine cellar and lots of storage. The end opposite the stables had some slave rooms. Once of them was where Sally Hemmings lived. The Historical Society that runs the park acknowledges that Jefferson had a long relationship with Sally and probably fathered her six children. (Genetic testing has verified that a Jefferson male was the father of one of her children.) Sally had gone to France with Jefferson and at the time France had outlawed slavery. It is rumored that when he returned, Sally (and other accompanying slaves) had the option of returning with him or staying in France. Sally chose to return, but the rumor has it that she bargained with Jefferson that he had to free her children. He did free them as they turned 18. However, while at Monticello, they lived in the slave quarters, not the house.