Jefferson’s Monticello

"A celebration of the United States of America and the future”; it’s hard to believe that these words were written about something as simple as a garden, but for Thomas Jefferson, gardens were never simple. The third president of the United States, who saw the country through difficult economic times, spent much of his time day dreaming of his home at Monticello. Much like George Washington had longed to leave Washington and return to his home at Mt. Vernon in the later years of his presidency, Jefferson was overwhelmingly pleased to have the opportunity to return to his agrarian roots.

                While living in the White House, Jefferson had to deal with the possibility of war, a poor economy, and a lonely life. Living alone in the white house took quite a toll on him as the stress of running the country built up. In his last years as President, Jefferson began to rely more and more on his vice president and secretary of the treasury. Instead of focusing on the problems of the nation, Jefferson found solace in connecting with his family through gardening. He frequently wrote letters to his granddaughter Ellen, who lived not far from Monticello on her family’s farm. Ellen would ride over to visit Monticello and then inform Jefferson of everything going on at his estate. These letters were helpful to Jefferson as he was longing to be home with his family.

                 After returning home, Jefferson spent most of his days outside, walking through his gardens and creating plans for new ones. The home that he had spent years developing was finally complete turning an eight room villa, into a twenty-one room mansion. Each of the rooms was filled with decorations from nature, one of Jefferson’s favorite things. More interested in nature than politics, Jefferson's Monticello is a home that will forever be beautiful because of his hard work and care.