February 16, 2022
After a light breakfast at the hotel, I had the shuttle
bring me to my rental car. They “upgraded”
from the midsize sedan I paid for, to a very dirty Ford Edge SUV. It was actually the only car in the lot! They said it was so dirty because it was too
cold to wash it. Well, at least I don’t
have to be too fussy with it.
Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson is in
Charlottesville. I had considered going
there, but just didn’t know if I was up for something so big. So important.
So instead, I went to the historical Michie Tavern for lunch. It was stated, “Southern Fare served in The
Ordinary”. Buffet style, but with metal
plates and cups, on rustic tables. It
was good comfort food. Brisket, potatoes
and gravy, fried chicken, stewed tomatoes, and pickled beets. I had a nice spot right near a real
fireplace. It was quite dark, so my
pictures aren’t so clear.
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| Michie Tavern |
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| Cozy Fire to Sit Beside |
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| Southern Fare Served in The Ordinary |
Afterwards I walked the trails around the various other
historic buildings. They weren’t open
for demonstrations so I can’t recall what each of them were. It was just a beautiful day to be outdoors in
the fresh air.
From there I drove to nearby Highland. This is the estate of our 5th
president, James Monroe. At the end of a
long, winding driveway is a collection of buildings that make up the estate. The main, larger building was once thought to
be the home of James Monroe and his wife Elizabeth. However, further exploration has revealed
that this was actually his guest house.
The main house burned down, but the foundation has been recently
discovered. Somehow, I neglected to get
a picture of the main building.
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| 300 Year Old Oak Tree at Highland |
Due to this being a slow time of year and that I visited
towards the end of the day, I had my own private tour. First the curator showed me around the
grounds, and then his assistant showed me through the interior rooms. Though the main home had burned down, 90% of
the guest house furnishings were ones who had belonged to James and Elizabeth
Monroe.
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| Statue of James Monroe in the Garden |
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| James Monroe's Writing Desk |
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| Reproduction of a Dress Worn by Elizabeth Monroe |
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| Guest Bedroom at Highland |
My tour was wrapped up about the
time they were to be closing, but they encouraged me to wander around outside
and go through the slave quarters. These buildings were used by enslaved men, women and children from 1799 - 1865.
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| Slave Quarters at Highland |
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| Slave Kitchen |
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| Farm Implements |
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| Candle Making |
Driving out, I enjoyed the beautiful row of ancient ash
trees. The curator told me that these
are actually quite rare, as ash trees are plagued by some insect. This row of trees is under the special care
of an arborist, in hopes of saving them.
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| Magnificent 300 Year Old Oak |
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