Monticello Podcasts

Nov 14 2024 217 ep. 13 mins 14

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Stories and news from the worlds of Thomas Jefferson, the larger Monticello community, and the life of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation.

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Tale of a Cockade – Thomas Jefferson's Daughter in Revolutionary Paris

Nov 14 2024 11 mins

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

Revolutionizing Archaeology at Monticello

Oct 23 2024 30 mins

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, dwellin

Robert Hemmings's Signature

Aug 29 2024 24 mins

In this episode of In the Course of Human Events, historians from Monticello's Getting Word African American Oral History Project share the recent rediscovery of Robert Hemmings’s signature, a revelation confirming the literacy and the agency of the man that Thomas Jefferson enslaved as his valet. As a teenage boy, Hemmings was at Jefferson's side in Philadelphia when he wrote th

"A Rich Spot of Earth" - Amaranths, Garden Pests, and Ginkgos

Jul 26 2024 18 mins

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 C

"Like a shock of electricity": Jefferson and the Intolerable Acts

Jul 21 2024 8 mins

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

When News of Independence Travels

Jul 11 2024 6 mins

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.

Object(-ive) History at Monticello

Jul 05 2024 29 mins

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 signif

Games at Monticello

Jul 01 2024 3 mins

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.

Hamilton vs. Jefferson

Jun 21 2024 7 mins

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

Roses, Strawberries, Tulip Poplars and Fringe Trees

Jun 14 2024 19 mins

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.