But he did believe in States Rights and that's what always sells me on Jefferson.
He was much more modest than Washington.
BL: Was surprised how by cramped it looked on the inside...I went away convinced that he was a bit of a crackpot.
S: The bed insets were ridiculously small and the dumbwaiter was no big deal. I don’t think Jefferson was the “brain” we make him out to be...
LOL! Y’all are so JADED! :-)
I thought Monticello was way cool. Then again, I’m sure I’m more than a LITTLE cracked myself... Keep in mind he put it all together quite a while ago, essentially in the middle of nowhere. Charlottesville was NOT Boston or NY.
Did y’all get a chance to check out the university? That was cool too (IMHO). Of all the stuff Jefferson did, fighting for and founding UVA was Jefferson’s proudest accomplishment, at least judging by what he had put on his tombstone. Too bad it’s now a liberal cesspool, but that’s the way of higher ed in this country.
Mrs. Tick and I were also blown away by the quality of the restaurants downtown. And good hiking not far out of town.
All in all I’d go back to Charlottesville in a heartbeat.
FRegards
The short beds were because people in those years slept propped up because they were concerned that if they lay down they wouldn’t be able to breathe as well and would die. Antique beds from that era are short too — not because their owners were short (there were plenty of tall people in our early days: Jefferson himself, for instance — but because the folks slept propped up on pillows. Jefferson just simplified the process, making his bed the room divider between work areas and dressing areas. Enclosing it between walls kept the drafts away too and reduced the need for expensive bed hangings.
OTOH, the holes in the entry hall floor to accomodate the clock weights are amusing — obviously he made a mistake in his calculations on how long the chains should be to drive an accurate timepiece. Either he didn’t have the money to re-make the clock, or he was just too arrogant to admit his mistake. Practical solution? Lengthen the chains and cut holes in the floor. Remember, he didn’t have a wife still living to curtail such nonsense.
Unfortunately, I have not seen Monticello since it was re-furnished for its BiCentennial (or was it 250 years when they had the big party?) It was very sparsely furnished when I saw it, but I understand the brought in a lot of furnishings for the celebration. Some of that stuff stayed, and I need to make another visit.