The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-04-29

II uuON11SEibOs
= Here was Buried
THOMAS JEFFERSON.
AUTHOR OF
THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE,
of the
STATUTE OF VIRGINIA FOR RELIGIOUS
FREEDOM
FATHER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
Born Feb. 2, 1743.
Died July.4. 1926. =.
...... ..... .............'.s
Near the tomb, with plain, fiat slabs
marking the respective graves, are
those of the wife, Martha Shelton, who
died in 1882; the daughter, Maria
Wayles Randolph, who survived her
father, and another daughter, Martha
Eppes, who died in early life. In the
same plot ia also buried the mother of
Jefferson, Jane Randolph, who died in
.1776. There are other members of the
family, bnt 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 1t with q
heavy, high iron fence and elaborated
gateway, which is religiously kept
locked. 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 in charge of a superin.
tendent, who occupies the old over
seer's house, substantial stone struc-
ture just opposite the entrance to the
great lawn. The superintendent is as.
sisted in his care of the estate by sew
eral colored people, one or two OF
them claiming to 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. 1t has long been the custom to
make every visitor to Monticello feel
at home. Something of that old spirit
of hospitality which was 80 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
Jeffersons. 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 a very rich man, and paid a good
deal more for Monticello than any
other purchaser would have paid. The
interior of the mansion has never been
disturbed in it's 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 tothis entrance,
which is across a porch of stone sur
mounted by heavy stone pillars. MIR.
Jefferson was 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 entrance ingressis 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 q design OF his own.
It 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 contrivance, touched
a 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 comes into a wide
hall, surrounded by gallery on tn rec
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
of the hall is of solid oak, poll shed,
and the wainscoting, door castings,
balustrades Of the staircase AMI gal