Monticello (Va.) Designs and plans

Scope and Contents Bill Beiswanger discusses Jefferson’s dreams of, and designs for, various structures in his garden. Documents and archaeological evidence suggest that the garden pavilion, or "temple" as Jefferson sometimes called it, in the vegetable garden along the south walk was built in his lifetime but did not last; the new reconstruction now stands in its place.

Scope and Contents Jefferson’s interest in all things botanical meant that his garden and greenhouse contained a number of unusual plants that originated in other parts of the world. Many of the European elite maintained greenhouses (orangeries) from the 18th century onward, and Jefferson planned to establish a greenhouse at Monticello to permit him to grow more delicate plants, seeds, and bulbs throughout the year. Initially he planned to have a free-standing, two-story structure on Mulberry Row but ultimately...

Scope and Contents Jefferson spent his early childhood at the Randolph estate of Tuckahoe, and the house’s evolving structure and usage played an important role in his architectural imagination. Thomas Mann Randolph expanded the house from his grandfather Thomas Randolph’s original two-story, four-room abode to a large H-shaped home with a spacious saloon joining the symmetrical wings. The interior finish of the hyphen and south wing was likely done by Richard Bayliss (who worked on Carter’s Grove and Wilton),...

Scope and Contents Jefferson was a life-long admirer, student, and designer of architecture. His ever-evolving plans for Monticello included his own simplified version of the Delorme dome (which he saw at Halle au Blé, Paris in 1786 and to which he refers in his famous “Head and Heart” letter to Maria Cosway, excerpt included), the serrated “zig-zag” he invented for the low-grade roof, and the tin-coated iron shingles he used and advocated (first applied by Ase Brooks but later by “a common negro man”). Though...

Scope and Contents Captain Joseph Miller and his daughter came to the US on the Lydia in 1813 and finally reached Albemarle County after many delays and disasters brought on by the war with Britain. Miller was well received and Jefferson, pursuing his interest in useful scientific pursuits and a desire to experiment with brewing his own beer at Monticello, soon befriended the British brewer. Miller trained Peter Hemings, who went on to produce fine, much-demanded ale (at first with wheat malt and eventually corn...