Episodes
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Amaranths, Garden Pests, and Ginkgos
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...
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The Election of 1800
History has remembered the Election of 1800, pitting John Adams against Thomas Jefferson, as a bitterly contested—some might say nasty—affair. Historian Edward Larson shares the story of this unprecedented campaign, the surprising results that nearly tore our young nation apart, and the...
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The Room Where It Happens
The Hamilton musical has helped popularize early American history, and one of the most famous numbers from the musical details a compromise between Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton. In this episode of Mountaintop History, Monticello Guide Kyle Chattleton talks about "The…
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A Brief History of the Turkey
Author Andrew Smith gives a quick primer on the history of the 'American' turkey as well as a quick review of the validity of story of the First Thanksgiving.
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Tale of a Cockade – Thomas Jefferson's Daughter in Revolutionary Paris
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...
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Revolutionizing Archaeology 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…
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"Like a shock of electricity": Jefferson and the Intolerable Acts
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...
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When News of Independence Travels
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...
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Robert Hemmings's Signature
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…
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Games at Monticello
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...
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Hamilton vs. Jefferson
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...
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Thomas Jefferson's Health Habits
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...
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Restoring Monticello's Flower Gardens
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...
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Family and Freedom: Critta Hemings and Zachariah Bowles
Journey through the remarkable life of Critta Hemings, an enslaved woman at Monticello, who, late in life, gained her freedom and was finally able to live with her long-time husband, Zachariah Bowles, on his family's farm, "Free State," in central Virginia. Monticello guide Alice Wagner shares…
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Roses, Strawberries, Tulip Poplars and Fringe Trees
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,...
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The President and The Naturalist: Humboldt's Trailblazing Travels
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...
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Object(-ive) History at Monticello
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...
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Dome Rooms, Cat Holes, and Fairy Palaces
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…
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Fruit Grafting and Jefferson's Favorite Garden Nurseries
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...
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The Great Eclipse
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…
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The Life and "Happiness" of Martha Wayles Jefferson
Years after her death, Thomas Jefferson described his marriage to his wife, Martha, as ten years spent "in unchequered happiness. And w hile the historical evidence draws a portrait of strong mutual affection, Martha Jefferson's life had its share of tribulation and tragedy. , In this episode of...
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Jefferson and His Gardens
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.
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Thomas Jefferson's Grand Day Out in London
Monticello guide David Thorson details the events of March 21, 1786, a day of shopping and entertainment in London for Thomas Jefferson.
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Gardening Granddaughters, Hyacinths, and Tree Clumps
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." It’s also Women's History Month and today we're going to talk about two of Jefferson's...
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The Edgehill School for Young Ladies
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.
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Free State: The Legacy of Amy Farrow
Amy Farrow, a free Black woman in 18th century Charlottesville, bought 224 acres of land that she established as a community for the free population of color in the city and surrounding county, including members of Monticello’s Hemings family. Learn more with Monticello Guides Olivia Brown and...
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Gardens of Enslaved Families, Pruning
This month we focus on 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…
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The Fantastic Tale of Selim the Algerian
He captured the imagination of the Virginia elite on the eve of the American Revolution with a tale of education in Constantinople, capture by pirates, sale into slavery in New Orleans, escape into the Virginia wilderness, and conversion from Islam to Christianity. Listen as Martin Clagett…
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A Mythological Figure at Monticello
Reclining in front of Monticello’s Entrance Hall fireplace is a marble statue of Ariadne, a figure from Greek mythology. How did this statue come to be at Thomas Jefferson’s home? Find out on this episode of Mountaintop History with Guide Olivia Brown.
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The Fiery Arch: Celebrating the Treaty of Paris
It was meant to be a spectacle. And it was. But not in the way intended. In this episode, author and historian Eliga Gould tells the incredible story of Charles Willson Peale's Triumphal Arch, built to celebrate the Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the American Revolution and established...
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A Love-Hate Relationship: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams
Sam Riggs now moves our discussion to a particular object in the Cabinet: the bust of John Adams. She shares the ups and downs that these two “frenemies” experienced in their relationship, the reasons why they differed and ultimately went their separate ways, and how they rekindled their...
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Restoring an American Icon
Monticello today is American icon, Jefferson's architectural masterpiece, and a symbol of the American story. It's on the back of the U.S. Nickel. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Replicas of it dot the American landscape, both real and imaginary. But it wasn't always so. At the end of the 19th...
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Greenhouses, Historic and Modern
The crew from Gardens and Grounds here discusses Monticello's modern, historic, and unrealized greenhouses, and share tips and techniques for caring for your plants during the winter. Featuring Michael Tricomi, Manager and Curator of Historic Gardens; Peggy Cornett, Curator of Plants; Debbie...
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But What About Montalto?
While Monticello was Thomas Jefferson’s “little mountain,” the nearby Montalto, which Jefferson also acquired, has its own story. Monticello guide Kyle Chattleton shares Jefferson’s different visions for this mountain, including the construction of an observatory and an elaborate series of...
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Winter on the Mountain
Winter in Virginia isn’t always mild...there were many times in Thomas Jefferson’s life when the cold temperatures at Monticello made normal life difficult. Hear some of those stories in this episode of Mountaintop History.
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The Corps of Discovery Celebrates the Holidays
Monticello guide David Thorson looks at how members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition celebrated the holiday season. He notes how different circumstances resulted in different experiences, and draws much of his discussion from William Clark’s journal.
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Winter Interest, Holiday Decorating, and Wreaths!
Winter not only brings cold weather to Monticello, it offers two special ways to experience the house and surrounding grounds. Our Holiday Evening Tours present rare opportunities to tour the house after dark and beautifully decorated for the holidays. And our annual Wreath Workshops feature...
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Who's Who in Jefferson’s First Presidential Cabinet
Ever wonder who Thomas Jefferson picked to be in his first cabinet, or why he selected them? Join Guide Olivia Brown and John Ragosta, Historian at Monticello's Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies, to learn more about Thomas Jefferson’s Cabinet Secretaries.
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My Essay in Architecture
Thomas Jefferson’s designs for Monticello and other structures have had a lasting impact on American architecture. In this episode, Monticello guide Don McCracken shares the story of how Monticello came to be, both as an idea and as a physical building, and how it serves as an example of what...
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Bulbs, Pumpkins, and Woody Plants
You might think November at Monticello would be a quiet time of year in the garden, but far from it. In this episode, we look at planting -- and eating! -- spring-blooming bulbs, planting and harvesting fall and winter vegetables, and prepping beds for winter. Featuring Michael Tricomi, Manager…
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California’s First Black Legislator: Frederick Madison Roberts
Frederick Madison Roberts, the great-great-grandson of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, had an major impact on early 20th century politics in California and was the first Black legislator in Los Angeles and the state as a whole.
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Mammut Americanum
Monticello guide Kyle Chattleton discusses one of the most memorable objects at Monticello today — the fossilized remains of an American mastodon. During his retirement years, Thomas Jefferson converted the entrance hall of his home into a private museum, and shared items such as these with his...
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Monticello Macabre
It's that time of the year when people think about the dark, the scary, and the macabre. As approach Halloween this year, we're sharing some of the dark stories related to Monticello's history. WARNING: This episode contains stories of violence, death, and suicide.
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Asters, Squash, Fall Foliage, and Wine
It's October at Monticello, and there’s color everywhere, from the reds, yellows and golds of the fall leaves to the pinks and purples of our tall asters to the oranges and greens of our fall squash. In this episode of "A Rich Spot of Earth," we talk about some of the most evolutionary complex...
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Benjamin Banneker Challenges Thomas Jefferson
Who was Benjamin Banneker? Scientist, clockmaker, Assistant to the Surveyor of Washington, DC, creator of bestselling almanacs, and possibly the first African American to publicly challenge Jefferson on the topics of slavery, race, and equality. In this episode of In the Course of Human Events…
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George Ticknor Visits Monticello
Thomas Jefferson’s historic home has hosted numerous visitors over the centuries. In this episode, Monticello guide Sam Riggs shares the story of George Ticknor’s 1815 visit. While Ticknor was not especially famous when he traveled to Monticello, his later writings about his trip have become an...
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Restoring Jefferson's Reputation
When the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation took possession of Monticello in the 1920s, it didn’t just have a house to restore, it had a reputation to restore: Jefferson’s. In his own lifetime, Jefferson was a controversial partisan figure, beloved by many as the author of the Declaration of...
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Seed Saving and Fall Planting
It's September at Monticello, and we're still harvesting summer vegetables, like tomatoes and okra. But we're also preparing for fall crops, and soon we'll be seeing shoots of carrots, turnips, beets, radishes, and more in our farm gardens. In this episode of "A Rich Spot of Earth," we talk about...
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The Horses of Monticello
Thomas Jefferson was a lifelong lover of horses and owned many horses throughout his own life. He used horseback riding as a way to contemplate, exercise, and explore. Learn more about Jefferson’s "passion" for a good horse and about a few of the horses who lived in Monticello’s stables.
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"The Delight of Every Hour"
One was the "constant companion of his solitary and studious hours." He paid for singing lessons for two. And one of them accompanied him to France. In this episode of Mountaintop History, Monticello guide Kyle Chattleton focuses not on Jefferson's daughters but on his mockingbirds, which were...
About this show
Stories and news from the worlds of Thomas Jefferson, the larger Monticello community, and the life of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation.
Hosted by
Thomas Jefferson Foundation
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