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Archaeology for All

Montpelier engages public help to unearth America’s buried past

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Montpelier Involves the Public in Archaeology

The first non-archaeologists participated in a public excavation on the South Kitchen in the early 1990s, launching archaeology as a public discipline at Montpelier. Since then, engaging the public has been the hallmark of the archaeology department, one that has grown to host over a dozen week-long programs annually with over 1,000 participants having worked side-by-side staff archaeologists. “Nowhere else can you spend a week working on actual archaeological sites with a fully trained staff of archaeology professionals, on the property where our nation’s most important ideas were formed,” says Senior Research Archaeologist, Terry Brock. “Its an incredibly unique opportunity, and it’s foundational to everything we do as a department and institution.”

Terry Brock

Doctorate in Anthropology from Michigan State University

Specializes in plantation landscapes, the archaeology of African Americans, and the use of digital tools for public engagement. Member of the Society for Historical Archaeology

Rebecca Gilmore Coleman participating in an excavation with Montpelier archaeologist, Bess Badger

Including the public in archaeological research accomplishes two main objectives:

First, it pulls back the curtain on the archaeological process and offers the public a deeper understanding of how we know what we know about the past. “The goal of our programs is to make archaeological research more of a ‘citizen science’ and wholly accessible to the public,” says Matthew Reeves, Director of Archaeology and Landscape Restoration. “The public is directly involved in discoveries that shed light on the founding of our country.” Whether visiting the archaeological site, exploring the lab, or spending a week excavating on-site, Montpelier offers the unique opportunity to literally get your hands dirty unearthing the past.

Secondly, the results of public inclusion and participation are visible on the landscape: every fence and building, every plate on Madison’s table, every structure in the South Yard is informed by the archaeological work conducted on the property. “Authenticity is critical to our physical interpretation, and there is no greater proof that something was part of the historical landscape then discovering it in the ground,” says Elizabeth Chew, Vice President of Museum Programs. “Giving the public a chance to be a part of each stage of discovery, from identifying and excavating, to analyzing and reconstructing allows for deeper understanding and more meaningful connection to the property, crystallizing the link between research and interpretation.”

Matthew Reeves

Doctorate from Syracuse University

Specializes in sites of the African Diaspora including plantation and freedman period sites, and Civil War sites. Serves on the Executive Board for the Society for Historical Archaeology, and is a founding board member for the Orange County African American Historical Society

Public archaeology expedition members working to uncover artifacts in the South Yard

Archaeology is paramount to the honest telling the story of Montpelier. Of the thousands of objects the Madison’s owned, what has come to Montpelier intact is barely enough to fill a single room. Therefore, the artifacts identified archaeologically are often the only information we have to guide the furnishing of the house, and about the day-to-day experiences of the Madison’s and their enslaved laborers. The often mundane, yet vitally important, details of everyday life can only be discovered through archaeology. “Without archaeology we wouldn’t know that James and Dolley Madison regularly served suckling pig and veal to show off their wealth to their guests, or that the enslaved girls living at Montpelier played with dolls to learn how to tend to their mistress” says Mary Furlong Minkoff, Curator of Archaeological Collections. “Through the careful analysis of the thousands of objects that we analyze in the Archaeology Lab each year, we can put together the pieces of what life at Montpelier was like.” 

Barely Enough to Fill a Single Room

A few pieces of fine art, partial services of French porcelain, two partial tea services, and fewer than ten pieces of furniture--most of which date to his parents’, James Sr. and Nelly Madison’s, purchasing period

Mary Furlong Minkoff

PhD from University of Maryland, College Park.

Specializes in civically-engaged archaeology, community archaeology, African American archaeology, sensory archaeology, and Civil War archaeology.

Citizen Science

The public archaeology programs at Montpelier are designed to give participants an immersive, team-based archaeological experience. By letting participants engage with the process of archaeology and the material history of the site, they gain a deeper understanding of the past. Montpelier offers a wide-range of opportunities for the public, including visiting the site and lab, attending week-long expedition program, participating in a field school, or volunteering in the lab. 

A critical part of involving the public in this process is what we call “citizen science:” where public participants are given in-depth training on all aspects of the science of archaeology – from how we survey the land to locate sites, to how we layout a site with excavation units to uncover archaeological deposits, to the analysis of the artifacts. 

The Expedition programs are the most immersive opportunities for the public. By working side-by-side with professional archaeologists, Expedition members have the opportunity to unearth the artifacts that help reveal insight into the 200-year-old story the property. “I have joined several Expeditions at Montpelier over the past few years, and I keep going back because there is always something new to learn,” explains Dean Cummins, veteran of seven Montpelier Expeditions. “Guided by Montpelier’s friendly, knowledgeable, and hard-working staff, I’ve helped uncover the plantation’s history using the best archaeological methods. The expeditions offer truly unique opportunities to help define Montpelier’s place in shaping and nurturing our nation during the early years. I can’t wait to get back.”

Public participating in lab analysis

Four different Expedition Programs are offered, spanning each portion of the archaeological process: Locating, Excavating, Analyzing, and Reconstructing.

The Location program is a partnership with the metal detecting community, and archaeologists and metal detectorists work together to identify archaeological sites. The program has been heralded by archaeological associations as the playbook for this unique collaboration, and has been supported by The National Geographic Society. 

The Excavation Program is the most extensive, featuring 10 sessions each year. Participants spend four days digging side-by-side with archaeologists on our latest excavations and one day in the archaeology lab cleaning and identifying the artifacts they uncovered. Our most exciting excavation partner has been the descendant community – a group for whom the unearthing of artifacts from the ground is a powerful connection to their ancestors. 

The Analysis program features work in the archaeology lab mending and analyzing ceramics, providing visitors with a more detailed understanding of what happens with objects after they’ve been found.

Finally, participating in the Reconstruction Program offers visitors the opportunity help build structures based on archaeological discovery, connecting the archaeological record to the interpretations of place. 
 
These programs connect the public to the past, the past to the present, and build a community around the unique processes at Montpelier. “It’s so wonderful that you all have so many opportunities for regular folks to participate and learn about Montpelier in general, and about the enslaved peoples who were instrumental in building and maintaining the plantation,” says Expedition participant, Miriam Hundley.
 

"I have visited many old 'homes' through the years and have never been taught as much about the people who worked behind the scenes to make the site prosper."

EXPEDITION PARTICIPANT, MIRIAM HUNDLEY

A critical part of this camaraderie is creating a connection between participants and the historical significance of Montpelier. Archaeology allows participants bond with the landscape by taking part in the process of discovery, and personally connects them to unearthing the early history of our nation in a tangible and meaningful way.

"James Madison" bottle seal uncovered by archaeologists

Making the Invisible Visible

Unfortunately, many of Madison’s personal papers were destroyed after his death. The ones that remain aren’t detailed enough to provide intimate knowledge of the lives of the Madisons and the enslaved community who built and inhabited the property. Thus is the power of archaeological discovery. 

Due to the complete invisibility of slaves’ daily routines from the historical record, excavating everyday belongings provides essential clues that offer insight into the slaves’ lives, and provides information on the plantation available through no other source. “These people, and the structures they lived and worked in, left a very small paper trail – but the physical remains, the ceramics, bottles, bones, reveal all kinds of information their humanity,” explains Reeves. “At Montpelier, the archaeological record is the primary source for understanding the plantation landscape and, in many cases, the lives of the enslaved African Americans who lived here.” Excavations, coupled with insurance maps and documentary evidence from the time period, where available, provide the blueprints for reconstructing the buildings on the landscape, ranging from slave quarters to outbuildings to tobacco barns. Montpelier is actively trying to bring the landscape of the 1820s back to life so visitors can understand the lives of the Madisons and the enslaved community in the fullest and most accurate way possible.

Time-lapse of South Yard reconstruction

The public has the benefit of excavating extremely well-preserved archaeological deposits located on the property. “The historic core contains intact remains of the entire range of the plantation, from the formal grounds of the main house, to the homes of the house and field slaves, to intact yard surfaces, barns, outbuildings, and an overseer’s house, in addition to sites from the Civil War and Post-Emancipation periods,” says Reeves. Following Dolley Madison’s sale of the Montpelier in 1844, all of the homes and work areas of the enslaved community were abandoned, and decayed in place. These sites provide the archaeology department with a wonderful space for the public to learn and participate in the process of interpreting the past, and critically and holistically examining the context of race and liberty in the United States, all under the umbrella of inclusivity and public engagement.

Historic Core

Name for the area that runs from James Madison's Temple to the the field quarters

The discovery of two decorated pipe bowls demonstrates the depth of understanding that archaeologists can uncover. Both pipes were discovered in the South Yard, contextualizing them as materials owned by enslaved laborers. The first was decorated with Masonic inconography. While it was unlikely that the enslaved laborers were members of the Masonic order, the association with Masonic ideals and values would have been understandable. “This is a fraternity that stood for concepts of manhood, justice and equality, and the claiming of craft and skill,” says Brock. “For an enslaved man, forced to labor against his own will for his enslaver, and who is systematically emasculated through his bondage, these ideas likely held a lot of meaning.” Even more obvious is the pipe bowl with the word “Liberty” displayed on it, found inside a slave dwelling. “We talk a lot about the political thought of James Madison, but these pipe bowls demonstrate that the enslaved community had their own ideas and concepts about politics, and that they were political agents as well, despite not having the political rights afforded to others,” Brock notes.

South Yard

Area adjacent to Madison's house where slaves lived

Masonic pipe discovered during a South Yard excavation

Working closely with the descendants and local African American stakeholders adds a critical layer of understanding and responsibility to the archaeology. “Collaborating with the descendants is critical to everything we do on site,” says Brock. “examining the sites where the enslaved community worked and lived carries with it tremendous responsibility, and working side-by-side with the descendants amplifies the  material evidence to support our interpretation of the lives of their ancestors. It was descendants, for example, who taught us about the importance of the Masons within the African American community.” The collaboration is part of a Montpelier-wide effort to engage with the growing Montpelier Descendant Community, and has driven archaeological investigations since the early 2000s when they conducted work with the Gilmore family on the Gilmore Cabin. “This collaboration is critical to our understanding of the past at Montpelier,” reminds Reeves. “The community guides our interpretive efforts, aids in our understanding of slavery and the African American psyche of the time, and gives a different perspective on the lives of the people we are striving the humanize and understand.”

Participating in the archaeological investigations has also been an important part of connecting descendants to their family’s past. The archaeology department leads special excavations for descendants and members of the local African American community, and offers scholarships for African Americans looking to attend public excavations and archaeological field schools. “When the buildings don’t exist, it’s very easy to deny the presence of the people that lived in them,” insists Joe McGill, founder of The Slave Dwelling Project. “But when the buildings are here, you’ve got to acknowledge them. Now that these buildings are being put back on the landscape, it’s going to spark a conversation.”

The ability for descendants to come to Montpelier and dig in the very same dirt as their ancestors, and recover the personal household items that slaves bought, used, and discarded provides an intimate connection with the people that made Montpelier. “It gives you a much deeper respect of the people that were not only working to service the people in the mansion, but themselves as well,” says Leontyne Peck, member of the Montpelier Descendant Community upon discovering a fork during a descendant expedition. “Everything had to be made. To me, that was another distinct level of respect.” This discovery of personal items once held by their family members generations before establishes an emotional connection with the past.

Joe McGill participating in an expedition

Leaders in the Field

Montpelier has developed a reputation for carrying out cutting-edge archaeology with unparalleled potential for yielding a wealth of data on a wide array of plantation research topics. “In addition to trying to learn more about the past lives of the Madisons and the African American community, it’s important that we innovate and further our discipline,” demands Reeves. Be it through public engagement programs, professional development opportunities for archaeologists and students, contributing research, or developing modern methodologies for site survey and analysis, the researchers strive to contribute to the field at large. “There are not many places that boast three PhDs in Historical Archaeology, and decades of experience among our staff members,” reminds Chew. “Our archaeology team is making meaningful contributions not only to Montpelier, but to the academic discipline through public archaeology, innovative methods and research, and training future professionals in historical and public engagement.”

Student and young professional development is a vital part of Montpelier’s archaeology program. Montpelier offers an archaeological field school each summer, and has five competitive, full-time, year-long, paid internships available for recent graduates. “Montpelier supported my enthusiasm for working closely with the public, through expeditions and everyday visitors, to teach individuals about the Madison family, slavery, and everyday life on the plantation; and how these topics are still deeply relevant to today’s society,” remembers Ally Campo, former Montpelier Archaeologist and current archaeologist with the POW/MIA accounting agency. “I am honored to have been a part of this dedicated team.” Former staff members continue to contribute to the discipline, using Montpelier data to complete dissertations at top-ranking PhD programs, or moved on to impressive careers at the Smithsonian, National Parks, and Department of Defense. “We provide a chance to work in a museum setting, gain experience in field and laboratory work, conduct independent research, and do public archaeology,” explains Minkoff. “These are unique opportunities and provide great experience for young archaeologists. We love attending conferences to experience many of our former colleagues, interns, and field school students making their own mark as archaeologists.”

Archaeology Field School

It is the public approach to scientific research and engagement with the African American community that sets Montpelier apart. “Concerns about diversity in the discipline of archaeology is a regular topic in our professional organizations, since it is predominately made up of white individuals, many of whom study societies of color,” says Reeves. “Our scholarships for African American students attending our field schools, and engaging with descendants and members of the local African American community are examples of the efforts we are making to ensure our research is engaging and inclusive, and also diversify a profession that is historically monochromatic.”

Building inclusive communities around discovering the past is another area where Montpelier is leading the charge. “Our metal detecting program is one of a kind,” smiles Reeves. “Archaeologists and metal detectorists have historically not worked well together. Archaeologist often view metal detectorists as looters and metal detectorists see archaeologists as elitist academics, but we make it work at Montpelier by combining the metal detectorists’ skill in located metal artifacts with archaeological direction through mapping and scientific recovery methods.” In partnership with metal detecting distributor, MineLab, Montpelier has been recognized as a hallmark for this type of collaboration, and Dr. Reeves has served on panels and task forces organized by the Society for American Archaeology and Society for Historical Archaeology working towards making these relationships more effective, while also discovering new archaeological sites that may be overlooked with typical survey methods.

The programs at Montpelier have been recognized over the years through various grants:

National Geographic Society: research and exploration grant that provided the opportunity to use metal detector surveys to discover remote and ephemeral Madison-era barn and quarters for enslaved field hands.  

The National Endownment for the Humanities funded a three-year, landmark project on the enslaved community whereby Montpelier was able to uncover slave quarters at three different locations on the property. This led to the eventual reconstruction of these structures on the landscape.

Two grants from the National Park Service for the study of the Civil War camps that led to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources creating a historic easement to protect these sites. 

Partnerships with Earthwatch that lead to our citizen-based research programs.

Archaeology Field School participant

Montpelier’s archaeologists are regularly cited by scholars and colleagues as leaders in public archaeology programming, and efforts to diversify the discipline through public programs, field schools, and internships. “Montpelier’s archaeology has raised the bar for interpretation of plantation sites that have traditionally been alienated from descendants of the enslaved,” says Dr. Michael Blakey, NEH Professor of Anthropology, Africana, and American Studies at the College of William and Mary. “Public programs have engaged African Americans in a process by which community members help Montpelier develop honest site interpretations. Montpelier is among the leading historic sites using archaeology to cultivate more plural and democratic perspectives on the past.”

Uncovering the Past to Inform the Present

For each person, the ability to spend a week working in the dirt connects them to the past in ways they likely never expected. “So many people attend our programs for so many reasons,” reminds Reeves. 

“For some, they want to work and live at the site of the father of the Constitution, others want to pay homage to their enslaved ancestors. Others simply want to experience archaeology.”

MONTPELIER DIRECTOR OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND LANDSCAPE RESTORATION, MATT REEVES.

Over the past 30 years, public archaeology has become a signature element of the Montpelier experience. By making it visible and participatory, visitors not only learn about the past, but they personally connect with it. “They can see and touch the past. Everyone who comes on our program discovers something about the past we didn’t know before. Our job is to give them the context and tools to make those discoveries, but for each person the opportunity to work at a Montpelier site is a uniquely personal experience, and their own moment of discovery,” says Brock. “Doing so connects us all to the past in a tangible, personal, and more meaningful way.” 

Why did James Madison have a temple in his front yard? He didn’t come here to pray– it wasn’t that kind of temple. Maybe it reminded him of the ancient Roman temple where the “flame of Liberty” was kept burning. But what does “liberty” mean? Does it mean that you can do anything you want? Whenever you want? Of course not! Can you imagine a whole country of people doing whatever they want? Imagine how quickly things would get out of control!

Things were getting out of control after the colonies broke away from the King of England during the American Revolution. The new states didn’t have a good system to govern themselves. They needed a rulebook. They needed a constitution.

Enter James Madison. He read lots of books right here at Montpelier that gave him ideas about the rules that other countries played by, if they didn’t have a king. Madison went to Philadelphia and worked with people from many different states to write a Constitution. His ideas were so helpful that now he is known as the “Father of the Constitution.”

What does the Constitution say about who makes the rules? Instead of a king, it’s “We The People.” The Constitution gives citizens the FREEDOM to govern themselves, to choose their own leaders, and to make their own laws and rules. The Constitution also protects the people’s rights like freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press.

At first the Constitution didn’t allow everyone to participate in government, but over the past 240 years, Americans have made changes — things called Amendments– that let more people have rights, and vote, and run for office. Now “We the People” means just about “All the People!”

The United States Constitution is the modern world’s longest lasting Constitution, and many countries have used it as a model when they wrote their own Constitutions . And just think: it all began right here, on this plantation, Montpelier. That’s how Montpelier made its mark on the world!

Madison was the 4th President, but can you guess six other Presidents who came to Montpelier?

Madison’s best friends were Presidents 3 and 5. Maybe you’ll visit their homes, Monticello and Highland. Who were they? … Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe!

President Number 7 visited Montpelier in 1832. Someone in your family might have his picture right now – he’s on the $20 bill. Who was he? … Andrew Jackson!

Three other Presidents visited Montpelier after Madison’s lifetime. They might be harder to guess, but let’s give it a try.

President Number 19 came in 1878, and gave a speech in praise of Madison and the Constitution. In fact, his last name rhymes with “praise.” Any guesses?… Rutherford B. Hayes!

President Number 26 came to Montpelier on Thanksgiving Day 1907, when the duPonts lived here. A toy bear is named for him. Who was he? … Teddy Roosevelt!

And finally, President Number 41 came here in 1991 for the 200th anniversary of the Bill of Rights. His son was a President too. Can you guess? … George H. W. Bush!

That’s a lot of Presidents who made their mark on Montpelier. And today you’re here! Now you’re part of Montpelier’s story too.

Sometimes the people who lived at Montpelier chose to make their mark, but other times they were forced to make their mark. From the time President Madison’s grandparents came to Montpelier, it was a plantation––a huge farm–where enslaved people of African descent grew crops like tobacco, wheat, and corn and did many other jobs to make money for the Madison family. People who were enslaved had many skills and worked hard, but they didn’t get the benefit.

It was not only enslaved adults that labored for the Madisons, but enslaved children were also forced to do a lot of different tasks such as gathering firewood, helping in the kitchens, hauling water, cleaning stables, and… making bricks. Look at this huge house in front of you— each and every one of these bricks was made one at a time, by hand. On plantations, brick-making was often a task given to enslaved children. They pressed wet clay into rectangular-shaped molds. Then the bricks were left in the sun to “bake,” and once enough bricks were made they “fired” them to harden them. Have you ever pressed your fingers into wet clay? What happens when you do that? Your fingerprints make a mark. That’s exactly what happened here when enslaved people were making bricks to build this house. As you walk around the house, see if you can find any fingerprints in the bricks. These fingerprints remind us that nearly 300 enslaved people, of all ages, made their mark on Montpelier.

Since enslaved adults and children did most of the work at Montpelier, they didn’t have a lot of time for fun. What did they do when they did have a little time to themselves? Archaeologists found artifacts – marbles, doll parts, and toy wagon wheels – that tell us that enslaved children sometimes played with toys. Other artifacts, like musical instruments called jaw harps, tell us that enslaved people made music. Many of the activities that enslaved people probably enjoyed, like storytelling or dancing, didn’t leave artifacts in the ground.

The Madisons had much more time to themselves. Written records describe one of their favorite ways to have fun: parties.

Dolley Madison wrote about a barbecue picnic that she and James hosted on the 4th of July 1816. Ninety guests sat at tables set up on the lawn by enslaved people. Enslaved waiters served them roasted meats and punch, and most likely, fresh vegetables from the garden.

We don’t have a written account of what enslaved people had to do to get ready for that party, but historians found one written account that gives us a clue. In 1824, the famous General Lafayette visited Montpelier. A young enslaved maid named Ailsey Payne was there. Years later, she gave a newspaper reporter her eyewitness account. She saw so many horse drawn carriages she could hardly count them. Young enslaved men rode and led the horses. Enslaved people stored all kinds of food and meat in the icehouse. Ailsey Payne helped clean every inch of the House and shined all of the glass, silver, and china.

Ailsey Payne left her mark on Montpelier by telling her story! Will you tell someone about your visit?

Have you ever been asked to “sweep the floor?” Maybe it’s your chore to sweep up the crumbs that fall to the floor after dinner (if you don’t have a dog to do it for you). But have you ever been asked to “sweep the yard?” Archaeologists at Montpelier believe that enslaved people who lived here did just that! They used brooms to sweep away all of the grass and weeds. The ground would have been like a smooth, hard, clay floor.

Sweeping the yard cut down pests and unwanted creatures like ticks, mice, and snakes. It was a natural way of getting rid of pests that ruined food or caused disease.

The building in front of you was once a kitchen. Enslaved cooks labored here from long before sunup to long after sundown to prepare meals for the Madison family and their guests. They could build their hot cooking fires outside in the swept yard so that the work was more tolerable.

Except for the two smokehouses, the buildings here were homes for enslaved families who mostly worked inside the Madisons’ House. Their homes could be crowded, dark, and unbearably hot in summer. Having a smooth, swept yard allowed them to move many of their indoor activities outdoors. Imagine how busy this place would have been!

The ancestors of enslaved people at Montpelier had also swept their yards in Africa.They passed their wisdom along to their descendants. This is just one example of how enslaved people and their ancestors left their mark on Montpelier.

Do you have pets?

The Madisons had a pet parrot named Polly, but most of the animals at Montpelier weren’t pets – they were working animals. Horses pulled plows that made the ground ready for planting wheat or corn. Horses also pulled wagons, loaded with barrels of Montpelier tobaccos or wheat flour, to market in Fredericksburg and Richmond, and brought supplies back. Aleck was an enslaved wagoner who drove and cared for the horses. On one trip to Fredericksburg, Aleck had to borrow 50 cents to go to the blacksmith for new horseshoes so the horses could make the trip back.

Besides horses, there were cows and sheep and pigs at Montpelier. Some animals were raised for food. Sheep were also raised for their woolly coats. Enslaved women spun the wool into yarn or thread, and weavers like Reuben, Amy, and Harriet wove it into cloth.

James Madison wanted to improve the American breeds of cows and sheep. He bought some Merino sheep, because their wool was so good. A friend gave him some Devon calves as a gift, because they were a better breed of cows.

Animals made their mark at Montpelier – and so did the people who worked with them and took care of them!

How do we know what we know about the past? We can’t ask the people who used to live here— they’re long gone. We have to piece together clues from “primary sources”— letters, journals, diaries, paintings, and newspapers. History is kind of like a giant jigsaw puzzle— as we put the pieces together, a picture of the past emerges!

The very first people to live at Montpelier were Native Americans, or Indigenous people. They didn’t leave written records behind, but they did leave artifacts– objects that were made or shaped or used with their own hands. People who study artifacts are called archaeologists. Montpelier’s archaeologists have discovered artifacts that are about 2000 years old. That tells us that Indigenous people were here, thousands of years before the Madisons, or enslaved people, ever set foot on this land.

The Manahoac tribe were the native people living on this land just before the Madisons arrived here. Artifacts show us that the Manahoac made their mark by making their homes here for periods of time. The artifacts found near President Madison’s house, and near his grandparent’s house at Mount Pleasant–objects such as ceramics, stone tools, and projectile points— show us that the Manahoac thought these were good places to live too.

Did you know that there are descendants of Manahoac people living and making their mark in Virginia today? They are now part of the Monocan tribe, one of the 7 Federally recognized tribes in Virginia.

Some of the people that left their mark on Montpelier are buried here in the Madison family Cemetery. Can you guess which of these gravestones marks the final resting place of James Madison? It’s the tallest monument, and it’s called an obelisk. Today it’s easy to spot Madison’s grave, but if you visited Montpelier in the first 20 years after his death, you wouldn’t know where he was buried unless you were a member of his family. James Madison passed away on June 28, 1836, and two days later, he was buried here, in an unmarked grave.

Why would a president of the United States be buried in an unmarked grave? Today we usually place a marker at the head of a grave, but in the 1700s and 1800s people didn’t always do that, especially in a family cemetery where everyone knew where their family members were buried. If you count the gravestones you’ll find that there are about 30, but we know there are about 100 Madison family members buried here.

It wasn’t until 20 years later that people, outside of the Madison family, decided to place the large gravestone to honor the “Father of the Constitution.” Now, ready for a creepy story? Before placing the gravestone, a deep foundation had to be dug to a depth below James Madison’s coffin. “The boards placed above the coffin had decayed…and the coffin lid was slightly out of place…” so the men digging the foundation opened the coffin lid and “looked in upon the remains…” of James Madison!

Some people made their mark at Montpelier by leaving it.

Anthony was just 17 years old when he decided to make his escape from Montpelier. He had been enslaved here all his life, working in the Madisons’ house, and he was ready to take a big risk for freedom. James Madison’s father placed an ad in the newspaper to say that Anthony had escaped. The ad said that Anthony had light hair and gray eyes, and it described his coats, pants, striped overalls, hat, and buckled shoes. The ad offered a reward for capturing Anthony.

Anthony didn’t want to be caught, so he told people his name was Robert Jones. But one year after he escaped, Anthony was found, about 70 miles from Montpelier. He told the men who captured him that he had traveled to port cities in Virginia, to Philadelphia, and even the West Indies.

But the very next day, Anthony escaped again. He managed to get papers that said he was a free man named Billy Willis. There was a rumor that he was heading to Philadelphia. The Madisons never heard from him again. What happened next is a mystery. But Anthony left his mark by taking a big risk for freedom.

The duPont Family bought Montpelier in 1901 and made many changes to the House and the property. Did you see the racetrack on your way in today? You might even have seen some horses!

Marion duPont Scott loved horses and horse racing. She helped make Montpelier one of the most important horse training centers in America. When three of her favorite horses passed away, she had them buried here and put up these markers to remember them.

Perhaps her favorite horse was Battleship. He was so small that people called him the “American Pony,” but Marion DuPont Scott knew that he had big talent. She sent him across the ocean to race in the British “Grand National,” an important steeplechase race that is still run today. The race is over 4 miles long, and the horses have to jump 30 fences! Many people thought that a small horse like Battleship couldn’t possibly win, but in 1938 he surprised them all! To this day, he is still the smallest horse ever to win the British Grand National. You might say that Battleship left his hoofprints on the history of horse racing!

Marion duPont Scott left another mark on Montpelier. She wanted to share Montpelier and its story with everyone. Thanks to her, you can visit Montpelier today!

Lots of people made their mark on Montpelier. But there are two people you might already know: James and Dolley Madison!

How did James Madison make his mark? He was a Virginia lawmaker, a US Congressman, the Secretary of State, and our 4th President! (Not all at the same time.)

But most importantly, Madison was “Father of the Constitution” and “Architect of the Bill of Rights.” He didn’t write those documents all by himself, but he shared lots of good ideas that still help us govern our country. Madison got his ideas from reading books right here at Montpelier, and he made notes to take to the Constitutional Convention.

Madison could spend so much time in public service because his family had money from owning this plantation. The Madisons enslaved people who grew crops and tended animals. The enslaved people didn’t have much choice about being here, but their hard work made Madison’s career possible. The enslaved people made their mark as the “invisible Founders” of our country.

Dolley Madison made her mark too. James was shy and quiet, but Dolley liked to bring people together for dinners and parties, especially in Washington, DC. That made it easier for James to connect with other people in government.

As you explore Montpelier, see what else you’ll find out about people making their mark!

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