Year: 1875

Monticello, the once beautiful home
of J,ffersOn, is situated on the top of a
mountain few miles from Charlottes-
vile, and commands the most extensive
view 1 have ever seen from private
hOuse-On one side one hundred and
fifty miles of the Blue Ridge, on the
other a landscape so broad and far
stretching that the eye can scarcely take
it in. The old mansion is large, with
wings, piszza, dome and some singular
half underground passages and Offices
on each side. It is empty and deserted
now, save by squatters, who ''show the
house for a quarter"


Nothing is left III the poor, lonely
mansion save a 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 holdings 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 light ladder in the hsll which
Jefferson made with his own bands, and
used for the purpose Cf winding this
clock, which is placed high up over the
front door, with a dial on the outside of
the house as we'll as within. The bed
rooms 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 life
time, came distinguished visitors from
all lands, among them Lafayette.
Jefferson was then old and infirm, IN
able to walk, but he was driven to the
edge of the plateau where the road be-
gins to descend, and there he waited
for Lafayette's carriage, which was
coming up the mountain. A number
of people had assembled to witness the
meeting. The two old men were as
sisted from their carriages and went TO
meet each other. With the single word,
Jefferson % Lafayette p they cIasped
hands, and all saw the tears in their
eyes.


The view from Monticello resembles
in many respects that from Lookout
Mountain. a short distance below the
house is the burial ground; here the
author of the Declaration of Independ-
ence 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 aud broken that it





the name can no longer be traced.
Originally the inscription was as fol-
lows: "Here lies buried Thomas
Jefferson, Author of the Declaration of
Independence, of the Statute of Vir-
ginia for religious freedom, and father
of the university of Virginia. The
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 climbing up particu-
lar tree on the side hill, and sitting
there together for hours; they agreed
to be buried under that tree, and ex-
changed 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, finding
that his friend had been inferred in an
other 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 p
Correspondence Cleveland Herald.