Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-08-12
The Home Of Jefferson.

The Home OF Jefferson.
CONSTANCE Kenmore WooLsoN writes
to the Cleveland Herald. SIS
Monticello, the once beautiful home of
Jefferson, is situated on the top of a
mountain, few miles from Charlottes-
vile, Va, and commands the most extern
sive view | have ever seen from private
house-on one side $50 miles Of the Blue
Ridge, on the other a landscape so broad
| and fairs stretching that the eye can scarce
ly take it in. The old mansion is large,
with wings, piazzas, dome and some
| singular, half underground passages and
offices on each side. 1t is empty and de-
serted now, save by squatters, who show
| the house for quarter" | shall never
forget the horrible old man who came to
meet us in the hall-sQualid, ragged, with
rolling half-sightless eyes and reeling
steps, he thrust out his dirty hand, NUT
tering: "Two Of yer! two of yer! Yer
can't come in till yer pay" and curled his
crooked yellow fingers in and out like the
claws Of some wild animal. We paid
hastily and then reTeated to call in the
driver as a protector; when we returned,
however, we found that the creature had
disappeared, leaving only bright little
negro boy to act as guide. Nothing is
left in the poor, lonely old mansion
save mirror, the top of the horse-chair
or gig in which Jefferson drove around
the grounds during the last years
of his life, the old antique plaster mold
ings over the DOORS and the large square
clock in the hall whose balls swung down
and marked the days of the week set in
panels in the wall. There is a light lad
der in the hall which Jefferson made with
his own hands, and used for the purpose
of winding this clock, which is placed
high up over the front door, with dial on
the outside of the house as well as within.
The bedrooms are all made with recesses
in the old French style, where the frame
of the bed is built into the wall, and forms
part of the woodwork of the house To
Monticello, during the owners lifetime,
came distinguished visitors from all lands,
then old and infirm, unable to walk, but
he was driven to the edge of the plateau
where the road begins to descend and
there he waited for Lafayette's carriage,
which was coming up the mountain. A
number Of people had assembled to wit
ness the meeting. The two old men were
assisted from their carriages and went to
meet each other With the single word.
i" JeffersOn!' Lafayettel" they clasped
hands, and all saw the tears in their eyes
The view from Monticello resembles in
many respects that from Lookout Mount
ain. A short distance below the house is
the burial ground; here the author of the
Declaration of Independence lies at rest,
surrounded by his family. But the gates
have been broken down, the horizontal
slabs over the graves Of his wife and
daughter are gone, and the small obelisk
to Jefferson himself is so defaced and
broken that it is but a shapeless block,
where even the name can no longer be
traced. Originally the inscription was as
follows: Here lies buried Thomas JEFF
ferson, Author of the Declaration of indie
pendence, of the Statute of Virginia for
Religious Freedom, and Father of the
University of Virginia" This family
burial ground had its origin in boyish
promise. Jefferson and his friend Dabney
Carr, who afterward married Jefferson's
sister, were in the habit as boys of climb
ing up a particular tree on the side
hill and sitting there together for hours.
They agreed to be buried under that tree,
and exchanged a promise that in case of
death the survivor should carry out the
wish. While Jefferson was in France
Dabney Carr died, but on his return, find
ing that his friend had been inferred in
another place, he ordered the body ex-
humed and buried it under the hillside
tree, near which his own tomb also was
afterward made. In these centennial
days would it not be well for the nation to
put in order this little mountain burial
place of Thomas Jefferson?