Montpelier (Virginia)

Montpelier (Virginia)
National Register of Historic Places
National Historic Landmark
Historic District
location	Orange County , Virginia
Coordinates	38 ° 13 '7.8 " N , 78 ° 10' 6.5" W Coordinates: 38 ° 13 '7.8 " N , 78 ° 10' 6.5" W.
NRHP number	66000843
Data
The NRHP added	October 15, 1966
Declared as an NHL	December 19, 1960

Montpelier is the country residence of the fourth President of the United States , James Madison (1751-1836), who ruled the young United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was one of the major writers of the American Constitution . His Montpelier manor , located in Orange County , Virginia , is one of the most important historic landmarks in the state of Virginia and one of the best preserved presidential homes , alongside the manors of his contemporaries George Washington ( Mount Vernon ) and Thomas Jefferson ( Monticello , about 40 minutes' drive away).

The country estate has been a National Historic Landmark since December 1969 . In October 1966, Montpelier was entered as a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places . Over the past few years, Montpelier has been restored to the condition it was in when Madison was. For many years since 1901 the house had belonged to the duPont industrial family, who enlarged it with numerous additions. After the property was taken over by the National Trust for Historic Preservation , these segments were demolished again.

Under the management of the Montpelier Foundation since 2000 , the architectural restoration was completed in 2008. Both the archaeological work (in an archaeological laboratory you can find out more about the excavations) and the attempt to acquire as many original objects as possible from Madison's household continue. The main house is surrounded by symbolic, unfinished huts for the slaves , which were in the immediate vicinity and whose locations were built over by the duPonts.

The tomb of the Madison family is about 200 meters from the main house; Here, among others, the President and his wife Dolley Madison (for whom the term " First Lady " was probably coined) are buried.

Obstacle race

On the initiative of Marion DuPont Scott , a passionate horse breeder and rider, obstacle races have been held every year on the Montpelier racetrack since 1929 ; In addition to Camden (South Carolina) , Montpelier is still one of the classic American obstacle courses.

literature

Ronald D. Barley: Rendezvous with America's President. On the way to the places of her life . Primus, Darmstadt 2012, ISBN 978-3-86312-028-3 .

Web links

Commons : Montpelier - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: Virginia. National Park Service , accessed March 6, 2020.
^ Montpelier on the National Register of Historic Places , accessed March 6, 2020.

[1] Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: Virginia. National Park Service , accessed March 6, 2020.

[2] Montpelier on the National Register of Historic Places , accessed March 6, 2020.