The Montpelier Foundation

James Madison’s Montpelier invites you to a community holiday event. Take a break from the holiday frenzy to relax and enjoy the season with a bit of history and tradition! Online sale price will be available until Saturday, December 7 at 3:00 PM. On-site Ticket price will be available from 3:00 PM – 6:30 PM for $20/Adult (18+), $15/Youth (12-17), $10/Child (5-11), Free/Child 5 and Under. https://buff.ly/3O6fgtD

General Lafayette visited Montpelier from November 15-19, 1824, and again in 1825. Ailsey Payne, enslaved housemaid and later cook, had vivid memories of preparing for Lafayette’s first visit in 1824. Read her story in The Naming Project.

The Montpelier Foundation cordially invites you to a special, members-only open house. Explore the Madisons’ home by candlelight as you learn about historical holiday traditions. After you tour the House, join us at the David M. Rubenstein Visitor Center to enjoy live holiday music and a 20% discount in the Museum Gift Shop. Fresh donuts, coffee, and cider will be available for purchase from The Donut Kitchen. This event is open to members only, and RSVPs are required. RSVP by Friday, November 29th, to Krista Costello at [email protected] or 540.672.4921

James Madison knew that it’s never too late to start exercising. He wrote in 1827: “Instances are not rare of confirmed health & even great longevity, in Constitutions feeble & frail in early life. Among the best means of promoting this result, are exercise & social recreations...” Today is Take A Hike Day, so come explore over 8 miles of trails at Montpelier!

National Philanthropy Day is the special day set aside to recognize and pay tribute to the significant contributions that philanthropy—and those active in the philanthropic community—have made to our lives, communities, and the world. Your philanthropic contributions, whether volunteering, donating, or sharing on social media, have enabled us to bring children on field trips to Montpelier to see, hear, and touch history; provide educational opportunities to professionals from all 50 states to advance constitutional government; maintain the historic House and care for Montpelier's 2,650 acres of protected land; work side-by-side with archaeologists to discover the hidden secrets of Montpelier; share the legacies of James and Dolley Madison and the enslaved people that lived and worked here. YOU make all of this possible! Today especially, we celebrate the change we’ve made, the change we’re making, and the change that is yet to come. We thank you for your support.

Revolutionary War General Lafayette made a triumphal return to the US in 1824, arriving at Montpelier #OTD 200 years ago. During a series of toasts at a dinner in Orange, Madison honored Lafayette for “his persevering devotion to the great principles of our Revolution.” Lafayette extended those principles even further. His aide Auguste Levasseur observed: “General Lafayette, who, while he well appreciates the unfortunate position of slave-holders in the United States ... still never fails to take advantage of an opportunity to defend the right which all men, without exception, have to liberty...” Read more about Lafayette’s time at Montpelier here:

It’s #NationalPickleDay! Pickling was an important food preservation method in the 19th century. Montpelier’s enslaved gardeners could produce fresh cucumbers and other vegetables and fruits for only a few weeks in the year, but enslaved cooks could pickle them, dry them, or make preserves – ensuring a year-round food supply. In February 1798, Dolley Madison sent a gift of pickles and preserves to James and Elizabeth Monroe, who had just moved back to Virginia from France. As James Madison explained, “Mrs. M. insists on adding for Mrs. Monroe a few pickles & preserves with half a dozen bottles of Gooseberries & a bag of dried cherries, which will not be wanted by us till another season will afford a supply...” Image by Luká? Jan?i?ka from Pixabay

#OTD in 1825, James Madison wrote a letter chastising his stepson Payne Todd for his “long & mysterious absence” in Philadelphia. Madison urged “My dear P.” to “Let the worst be known, that the best may be made of it.” It would be several months more before Madison learned that Todd owed $5520 to a Philadelphia creditor and faced legal action. Madison promised to repay Todd’s debts, but Todd’s struggles with debt and alcohol continued. As Todd said near the end of his life, “I have been my own worst enemy.”

As we pause to honor American veterans today, we remember the Civil War service of the sons of Paul Jennings, Madison’s enslaved valet: John Jennings (5th United States Colored Troops), Franklin Jennings (5th Massachusetts Colored Cavalry), and William Jennings (24th United States Colored Troops). Both John and Franklin fought in the Second Battle of Petersburg, June 1864. The flag of William’s regiment carried the motto “Let Soldiers in War, Be Citizens in Peace.” African American citizenship would later be guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. Library of Congress, Gladstone Collection of African American Photographs

In a 1783 address to the States by Congress, Madison called Revolutionary War veterans “that illustrious & patriotic band of fellow Citizens, whose blood and whose bravery have defended the liberties of their Country.” On Veterans Day, we honor all members of America’s armed forces who have given so much in defense of our liberties – from the American Revolution to the present day. Thank you for your service! US Marine color guard at Madison Family Cemetery, Montpelier photo.