While living at Monticello during her father’s retirement, Martha Jefferson Randolph played many roles: daughter, wife, mother, and a hostess who welcomed her father’s frequent guests while directing the work of his enslaved domestic servants. But there was period in her of her life when she was away from most of that, away from the social confines and expectations for women of her status in Virginia. As a teenager living in Paris with her father, who was then serving as the U.S. Minister to France, she attended school at a nearby convent and socialized in the highest circles of European society. Known even then for her brilliance, Martha found many admirers and friends, among them the Marquis de Lafayette, whose grand gesture toward her during a parade not long after the storming of the Bastille became the stuff of family legend. On this episode of Mountaintop History, Monticello guide Alison Kiernan looks at how a seemingly innocuous object—a small, decorative cockade given to a young Martha at party in Paris—reveals a story that spans two continents and three and a half decades, from revolutionary France to a joyful reunion at Monticello.

We often describe Monticello as the best documented plantation in America. Partly that's because of the remarkable historical record left by Jefferson and his family that gives us not only the personal details -- names, birth dates, occupations, movements, and family relationships -- of hundreds of enslaved individuals, but information about plantings, harvests, work sites, dwellings, and the workings of a thriving internal economy at the plantation. But historical documents only tell a partial story, based on the perspectives and interests of their authors. In this episode of Sharing History, we look at another historical record, one literally hidden in the ground -- the archaeological record -- and how, in ways not always expected, it revolutionized our perception of Jefferson, Monticello, the surrounding plantation landscape, and the lives and labors of Monticello's enslaved community. Joining the discussion are Fraser Neiman, Monticello's Director of Archaeology, Jillian Galle, Project Director for the Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery, and Doug Sanford, a former Monticello archaeologist and retired professor in Historic Preservation from the University of Mary Washington. They tell the story of how archaeology transformed history at Monticello, and how their and their colleagues’ work in turn helped transform the field of historical archaeology.

June in the Monticello gardens offers a rich array of plants in bloom from Bachelors Buttons and Canterbury Bells to Chives and Cardoons. This time on “A Rich Spot of Earth” we focus in on another star of June, Amaranths, and discuss how to manage garden pests and diseases. We also take a special look at one of the oldest tree species in existence, the Ginkgo. Featuring Peggy Cornett, Curator of Plants; Michael Tricomi, Manager and Curator of Historic Gardens; Debbie Donley, Flower Gardener; and Robert Dowell, Senior Nursery Associate at the Thomas Jefferson Center Historic Plants.

Years later, a retired Thomas Jefferson later reflected that at least for Virginia the series of British laws in 1774 that came to be known as the Intolerable Acts, or Coercive Acts in Britain, played a crucial role to the path to independence and the American Revolution. But what were the Intolerable Acts? What made them so charged for Jefferson and his fellow Virginians? And how did the acts shape British colonists’ opinions on Great Britain, their relationship to the British Empire, and their ideas about government and rights?

Americans today celebrate July 4th as the birthday of the country, but how about in 1776? In this episode, Monticello Guide Kyle Chattleton presents a belated holiday episode to reflect on how slowly news of independence spread in July of 1776, and how John Adams thought our parades and fireworks would fall on July 2nd.

Every object tells a story, right? So, imagine what 5,000 might have to say. In this episode, Monticello curators Susan Stein, Diane Ehrenpreis, and Emilie Johnson discuss the extensive collection of objects they and their predecessors have amassed over the past 100 years related to Thomas Jefferson and his famous Virginia home and plantation. They highlight some of the most significant items belonging to Jefferson and his family, and objects connected to the enslaved people who lived and worked at Monticello. The curators explore how the collecting priorities and interpretive approach have evolved over time to provide a more complete picture of Jefferson as a thinker and founder, but also the complicated reality of slavery and the diverse lives of all those who called Monticello home.

Chess, dominoes, running races, and “royal” games of Goose — these were among the many different games played at Monticello during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In this episode of Mountaintop History, Monticello guide Kyle Chattleton shares a few stories of entertainment from Monticello’s past.

Monticello guide Holly Haliniewski shares the story of one of America’s most famous rivalries. Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson played instrumental roles in the creation of America, and had completely different visions for the future of the country. But while a lot of recent attention has been paid to their disagreements, an object found at Monticello today might point to a deeper level of respect between the two.

This month we focus on a classic: the garden rose. We also talk tiny strawberries and look at two native trees that are flowering right now. Featuring Peggy Cornett, Curator of Plants; Michael Tricomi, Manager and Curator of Historic Gardens; Debbie Donley, Flower Gardener; and Robert Dowell, Senior Nursery Associate at the Thomas Jefferson Center Historic Plants.

Thomas Jefferson once wrote, "the state of medicine is worse than total ignorance." Yet, he did not completely reject medical ideas and practices, and was an early advocate of smallpox inoculation. In this episode, part-time Monticello guide, David Brown looks at Jefferson's health habits and beliefs with an eye to how they stack up with contemporary medical ideas.

In 1924 Monticello’s new owners began the process of restoring the gardens Jefferson had designed for his mountaintop home. But after a century of differing uses—and sometimes outright neglect—by various owners and caretakers, very little evidence remained of Jefferson’s original plans and plantings. It was a daunting task, and it could have ended quite differently were it not for the perseverance, personalities, and ingenuity of several individuals committed to restoring Jefferson’s vision. In this episode of our “In the Course of Human Events” podcast, Monticello’s Curator of Plants, Peggy Cornett — with help from colleagues Monticello Senior Historian Ann Lucas and guide Elizabeth Lukas — tells the story of how two relatively young organizations, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation and the Garden Club of Virginia, worked together to restore Jefferson’s unique vision for his flower gardens and laid the groundwork for future historic landscape restoration projects at Monticello and elsewhere across the United States.

According to a gardening manual from Jefferson’s time, April is the month to graft fruit trees. So in this episode, we cut into the practice of grafting and explain it's critical to the fruit you eat every day. We also look at Jefferson's favorite nurseries along with the historic and modern nurseries at Monticello, and highlight the upcoming Center for Historic Plants Open Houses in April and May. Oh, there's pomegranates, too. Featuring Peggy Cornett, Curator of Plants; Michael Tricomi, Manager and Curator of Historic Gardens; Debbie Donley, Flower Gardener; and Robert Dowell, Senior Nursery Associate at the Thomas Jefferson Center Historic Plants.

In 1804, the adventurous Prussian naturalist Alexander von Humboldt made a pivotal stop in the young United States to meet President Thomas Jefferson. On this episode of Mountaintop History, we look at this momentous encounter between two revolutionary thinkers, and explore Humboldt's groundbreaking theories on the "web of life," his awe-inspiring travels across the Americas, and his contrasting views with Jefferson on topics like slavery and democracy. Discover how Humboldt's trailblazing journey helped shape American identity and introduced ideas centuries ahead of their time.

In a recent episode, we focused on the more influential aspects of Jefferson’s architecture. But in a conversation like that we can miss out on other details. Monticello guide Kyle Chattleton shares with us how the nooks and crannies of the third floor of Jefferson’s home can point to smaller, yet still memorable stories.

It's March at Monticello and the natural world is starting to wake up. Bloodroot, Lenten rose, hyacinths, peach and pear trees are all in bloom. As Jefferson put it, "Spring" makes "a paradise of our country." In this episode of "A Rich Spot of Earth," we talk about two of Jefferson's granddaughters who helped him in the garden and focus on a peculiar planting scheme described by Jefferson and implemented at his retreat home, Poplar Forest. Featuring Peggy Cornett, Curator of Plants; Michael Tricomi, Manager and Curator of Historic Gardens; Debbie Donley, Flower Gardener; and Robert Dowell, Senior Nursery Associate at the Thomas Jefferson Center Historic Plants.

Eclipses come and go, but these marvels of nature always draw attention from astronomers — both professional and amateur — across the globe. In this episode, Monticello guide Kyle Chattleton explores the stories of two eclipses that occurred during Thomas Jefferson's lifetime, and how both point to his pursuit of scientific knowledge.

Monticello guide Don McCracken takes us outdoors to the historic gardens of Thomas Jefferson’s home. While the gardens were designed and built for food and pleasure, they also represented ideas replanted from Europe as well as opportunities for education, and made only possible by enslaved labor.

Monticello guide David Thorson details the events of March 21, 1786, a day of shopping and entertainment in London for Thomas Jefferson.

In this episode of Mountaintop History, we take a deep dive into the legacy of female education among elite Virginians and share the story of the school founded and operated by the Jefferson's daughter and granddaughters in the aftermath of his death.

This month we look at the gardens enslaved families tended for themselves to supplement rations and provide additional income, and discuss how these small gardens figured prominently in the larger plantation economy. We also look at the beneficial practicing of pruning and offer tips for when and how to prune your plants. Featuring Justin Bates, Manager of Special Programs; Michael Tricomi, Manager and Curator of Historic Gardens; Peggy Cornett, Curator of Plants; Debbie Donley, Flower Gardener; and Robert Dowell, Senior Nursery Associate at the Thomas Jefferson Center Historic Plants.