Monticello Podcast
1) 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 ...Show More
2) 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 persona...Show More
3) "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...Show More
4) 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 ...Show More
5) 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 Mountaint...Show More
6) 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 com...Show More
7) Thomas Jefferson's Health Habits
Thomas 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 epis...Show More
8) 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 vari...Show More
9) 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 w...Show More
10) 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...Show More