Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1896-05-20

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marking the respective graves, are
those of the wife, Martha Shelton, who
died in 1882; the daughter, Maria
Wsyles Randolph, who survived her
father, and another daughter, Martha
Eppes, who died in early life. In the
same plot is also buried the mother of
Jefferson, Jane Randolph, who died in
1776. There are other members Of the
family, but the Inscriptions on their
monuments are partially obliterated.
The burial plot used to be surrounded
by brick wall, but of late years the
Levy family have enclosed. it with q
heavy high iron fence and elaborated
gateway, which is feligiouslY kept
looked. The burial plot is 1900 feet
from the mansion, the same winding
road leading to the main entrance.
The old eliptical stone coping which
surrounded the mansion is kept in
good repair and is striking feature
of the grounds. The mansion and
grounds are III charge of q superin-
tendent, who occupies the old over.
tsser.s house, o substantial stone strtic.
Eture Just opposite the entrance to the
great laEn The al,p per- ptendent Is as
sisted In his care OF the estate by sew
eeral .colored people, one. or two of
them claiming 10 be descendants Of
Jefferson's servants.
By the time one has reached the
stone steps reaching to the lawn the
visitors presence, already announced
by the bell, is known, and one or two
servitors of the place are there to greet
him. R has long been the custom to
make every. visitor to Monticello feel
at home. Something of that old spirit
of hospitality which was SO abused in
the last century, and led to the
ruin of the proprietor, still hovers
about the place. The lawns and shrub
berry are admirably kept, the stone
walls and fences are radiant with new
whitewash, the old quarters OF the
house servants are as clean and white
as paint can make them, and the man
sion itself is carefully watched and the
least evidence of decay repaired at
once. The lawns are even more beau
tiful now than they must have been in
days gone by, for so much attention
is bestowed upon them. The great
Lombardy poplars which Jefferson
planted with his own hand are nur-
tured and trimmed and kept as free
from insects as though they were the
choicest of fruit trees.
The Levy family, present owners of
the place, are in no way related to the
Jefersons. The present proprietor's
uncle, Commodore Uriah P. Levy, Of
the navy, bought Monticello soon
after Jefferson's death, and did so be-
cause of his great admiration for Mr..
Jefferson, who while President had
assisted him in his naval career, and
also because of his desire to help the
jefferson heirs. Commodore Levy
was very rich man, and paid o good
deal more for Monticello than any
other purchaser would have paid. The
interior OF the mansion has never been
disturbed in its arrangement by any
of the Levy family. On the contrary,
SO far as possible they have endeavored
to preserve, even in the furnishing of
the house, as much Of similarity to
the old furniture as possible.
The chief entrance to Monticello is
on the east, although it is building
with really two fronts. but the eastern
entrance was the one Mr.. Jefferson
regarded as the principal one, because
it looked out upon the magnificent
view of the valley below. A flight of
granite steps leads to this entrance,
which is across porch of stone sur
mounted by heavy stone pillars. Mr..
Jefferson was o great lover of glass,
and the result is that every door about
the place is of glass. The porches are
covered with glass, and so with this
eastern nceingress is had through
enormous double glass doors. Over
the glass doors is great clock more
than a century old. The clock was
one manufactured at Mr.. Jefferson's
| order and after O design OF hlSown.
1t has two faces, one outward, so that
people may see the time from the lawn,
and one inward, for the benefit of
those within the large hall. Two heavy
cannon balls were the weights that
gave the clock it motive power, and as
the weights descended each day they,
by an ingenious corltrivance, touched
lever, which in turn threw out q
tablet, upon which. was inscribed
the day of the month and the day
OF the week. This contrivance was
made by Mr.. Jefferson's own hand.
On passing through the double glass
doors the visitor GENES into q wide
hall, surrounded by . gallery on three
sides. The ceiling Of this hall is thirty
feet high, and from it depends an
enormous chandelier, brought from
France in the last century. The floor