Montpelier is Open Presidents' Day!
Montpelier will be open Monday, February 18 for Presidents' Day with a new installation as part of its ongoing exhibit, “The Founding Friendship and Enduring Legacy of James Madison and Thomas Jefferson.” Several significant documents will be on display in the Joe and Marge Grills Gallery including John Quincy Adams’ Eulogy of the Life and Character of James Madison, Fourth President of the United States as well as James Madison’s own “Notes on tour to Lakes in 1791.” The gallery is free and open to the public. This exhibit will end June 30, 2013.
C-SPAN Rolling In
Montpelier will welcome the C-SPAN Bus at the Visitor Center February 23, 2013, from 10:30am-2:00pm. The bus is a 45-foot interactive multimedia learning center that brings C-SPAN’s coverage of public affairs to communities nationwide. It will showcase C-SPAN’s new original series, First Ladies: Influence and Image, which is broadcasting Mondays at 9:00pm ET. This will be the first ever television series to showcase all of the American first ladies from Martha Washington to Michelle Obama. Mark your calendars for Dolley’s C-SPAN debut on March 11!
Join Us for a Specialty Tour
Civil War Trail and Gilmore Farm Walking Tour
2:00 p.m. Saturday, February 16, 2013
Meet in parking lot across from the Montpelier Train Depot on Rte. 20
Walk in the footsteps of McGowan's Brigade on Montpelier's Civil War Trail, carving a path through the archaeological remains of this Confederate winter camp to a reconstructed camp street. Conclude at the cabin and farm of George Gilmore, born into slavery at Montpelier in 1810 and turned farmer and landowner after Emancipation, on the site of an abandoned Confederate hut. This is a walking tour.
Gilmore Cabin Open
12:00 noon – 5:00 p.m. Saturday, February 16, 2013
Meet at Gilmore Farm on Route 20 – 11199 Constitution Highway, Montpelier Station, VA 22957
Enter the home of George Gilmore, born into slavery at Montpelier in 1810, and visualize the life he built for his wife, Polly, and their family after Emancipation. This free tour highlights the continuing struggle for African Americans during Reconstruction and the Gilmore family's eventual citizenship and ownership of the land.
Journey From Slavery to Freedom
1:00 p.m. Sunday, February 17, 2013
Meet at the Visitor Center
Experience nearly 300 years of African American history, visiting sites and original structures on the Montpelier plantation that bring to life generations of enslaved individuals through Emancipation, and shed light on living and working through Reconstruction, Jim Crow segregation, and the Civil Rights Movement. This is a walking and driving tour.
Enslaved Community Tour
1:00 p.m. Monday, February 18, 2013
Meet at the Visitor Center
Journey through the lives of more than 200 enslaved individuals during the Madison period. Visit the village where they lived, the cellars and fields where they worked, and the cemetery where they now rest. Learn from the stories of individuals, families, and their often complex relationships with the Madisons. This is a walking tour.
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