Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-10-23
JEFFERSON'S MONUMENT.
1T. COL. CASEY CARRIES OUT
CONGRESS- INSTRUCTIONS.

The Total Expenditure SS,352, 81, ,64 8
Less than the ApprOpriation-AD De-
scriPtiOn of the Lonely Burying Place
and Its IIlustriOus Occupants-Jeffer
sons Own Inscriptions.
WASHINGTON. Oct. 22.-Lieut. Colonel
Thomas L. Casey, of the Corps of Engi-
neers of the United States Army who was
charged with the execution Of the Joint
resolution of Congress providing for the
erection of a suitable monument over the
grave of Thomas Jefferson, at Monticello,
Va, has made report to the Secretary of
state, announcing the completion of that
work. IL appears from the report that
the burying ground at Monticello is the
propertyof the heirs of Thomas j Ran
dolph' deceased, grandson Of Thomas
jefferson. 1t lies within the boundaries
of the estate called Monticello, and about
quarter of mile from the
public highway. Bordering that estate
and situated up on a hillside in thick
grove of second growth pines, oaks and
other deciduOuS trees. The estate of
Monticello, excepting the family grave
yard, with full access to the latter, is
now owned by L. j. Levy, Of New York
shows it TO be nearly square in plan, the
diagOnals of the lot lying about north,
south and east and west. The surface of
the lot Is quite uneven, the northeast
corner being 16 feet 8 inches higher
than the opposite southwest corner.
The ground was surrounded by
a wooden fence and the old mOnu-
ment to Jefferson was much
worn by the weather and disligured by
ii4 In,
number of other graves, of the Ran
dolphs, CARROTS, Bankheads and Carys,
ana the under pinning of several of the
horizontal slabs was in II dilapidated
condition. The work just completed con-
sisted i'll the grading, seeding and,sodding
of the surface, the repairing of six OF the
old graves, of the erection Of new mon
ument over the grave of Jefferson, and
the building of IA strong and handsome
fence about the buryimg ground. The
monument consists first of two fOunda-
tlOn courses, the lower one u feet square
and the next 8 feet square and each 9inches
i'll height, which covers the grave of jet
fersOn and four of his kindred. who are
buried at his head and feet, on either
side. The foundation stairs are surmOunt-
ed by die feet square at the base, and
feet I inches in height, and this by
granite Ob0lisk feet inches square at
total height of the monument above the
ground is, therefore, Is feet. The inscrip-
ton, composed by Jefferson, and in ac-
cordance with his direction placed on the
ObOlisk, is as follows: ''Here was buried
Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declara-
tion of American Independence of the
statute of Virginia for religious freedom,
and the father of the University of Yir-
ginia," and upon the die, Born April ,,
l743, Q. S., died July 4, 1862 On the
upper surface of the four sides of the
lower foundation istep are inscriptions
marking the four graves above mentioned
as surrounding that of Jefferson, the grave
of Martha Jetfers, his wife, those of
Martha j. Randolph and Maria j. EDps,
his daughter, and of Governor Thomas NJ.
Randolph, his sOn-in-law. The total ex-
pendture for the work was $S,352, leav-
ing balance of $1,64S of the appropria-
tiOn still uneXpended.