Programs

Mansion Restoration

In 2008 Montpelier completed the architectural restoration of the home of James and Dolley Madison. Today, the story of the restoration continues as we move to the next chapter in Montpelier's restoration—the curatorial initiative to rediscover the furnishings of James and Dolley Madison. The goal of this initiative is to return the mansion to the one that James and Dolley created and loved, allowing every visitor to experience their presence in their Montpelier home.

James and Dolley's lives strongly influenced their décor. They lived in urban Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.; they actively pursued an interest in French fashions and furnishings; and they learned the latest decorating styles working with noted architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe to refurnish the White House. They brought these influences to rural Virginia, to a home that also included the "old fashioned" style of Madison's mother, who lived to be 98, and maintained her own household under the same roof.

Visit the Curatorial Restoration Blog to learn more.

Center for the Constitution

Montpelier's Center for the Constitution is America's premier constitutional training center inspiring the public to be stewards of James Madison's legacy of self-government through world-class on-site and Web-enabled educational programming. The Montpelier Foundation established the Center for the Constitution in 2002 as a national academy to provide seminars for teachers and educators on the U.S. Constitution. With similar success, the Center has begun training those who have a responsibility to implement and protect the Constitution, such as judges, legislators, and police officers. A recently launched international democracy building initiative invites participants to focus on budding freedom movements around the world in the context of Madison's thinking for our fledgling republic. In its next phase, the Center will expand its on-site seminars and accelerate its online educational programming.

Together with the restored Montpelier, the Center for the Constitution serves as the living monument to James Madison and provides the one place where Madison's presence is tangible, and where his inspiring work that framed our Constitution can be directly examined.

Learn more by visiting the Center for the Constitution's webpage.

Archaeological Research

A rich history lies beneath the lush turf of Montpelier. Archaeological surveys and research began one year after Montpelier's acquisition by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1984 and this work continuously produces exciting finds that offer insight into the lives of the Madison family and the enslaved African-Americans who worked and lived on the plantation.

Learn more by visiting the Archaeology blog, The Latest Dirt.

Student Educational Programs

Currently 3,500 school children visit Montpelier annually on field trip visits. A typical field trip includes a curriculum-based guided tour of the mansion, exploration of the Visitor Center and historic grounds, and other engaging educational programs led by Montpelier's professional educational staff. Programs are designed for Grades 2-12 and are hands-on, interdisciplineary, and complement the Virginia History and Social Science Standards of Learning.

Montpelier thanks The Memorial Foundation for Children and Wachovia for sponsoring educational programs at Montpelier.

Learn more about Student Educational Programs...

For more information on supporting any of the above programs, please contact the Director of Major Gifts at (540) 672-2728 x120.