Montpelier Rising: An Epic Journey to Restore an Historic Home

What do Texans, Iowans, and New Jerseyites share in common? Apparently, an appreciation for the majestic 18th century historic site that is Montpelier, home of James Madison, Fourth President of the United States of America and local son of Orange, VA. These visitors’ license plates are amongst the many interesting, out-of-state tags that can be found on the cars parked along the grassy banks of the gravel path leading to the Madison homestead. Though it is no longer the largest or most ornate house in the county, Montpelier, a relic of colonial and early post-independence American history, has retained an aura of mystique that draws locals and distant tourists alike.

Aside from the historic value of the Madison home, Montpelier has attracted national attention in recent years due to the elaborate $25 million renovation that is currently underway, designed to restore the house to its original appearance. The 2008 celebration of the completion of Phase 1 of this project drew notables from national and state politics, including Supreme Court Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito and Virginia governor Tim Kaine. Even without the lure of political stars and historic celebrations, Montpelier remains a point of national interest. Traveling in the footsteps of one of America’s founding fathers, not to mention those Texas, Iowa, and New Jersey natives who have found their way to the rural heartland of Virginia, promises to be a treat for the mind and spirit.

The Montpelier experience begins well before you catch a glimpse of the white columned majesty overlooking a lush oval lawn and undulating hills that stretch towards the mountains of the Blue Ridge. Neither local nor tourist can fail to be impressed by the beauty of the landscape of Route 15, the two-lane highway leading you to the gem of Montpelier. Central Virginia’s distinctive rolling hills entice the eye, offering breathtaking glimpses of the foreground to the Appalachian Mountain range, which forms the western vista of Orange County. A mix of thrilling curves and scenic straightaways along the highway amplifies the impressiveness of the farms sprinkled throughout the countryside, as unadulterated rural landscapes give way to log-fenced estates.

Montpelier’s current address is officially known as Montpelier Station, VA, and the location’s namesake, a small, pale yellow rail stop, is the closest neighbor to the historic home. When traveling from the town of Orange, drivers can catch a glimpse of the charming, white-roofed railway stop, a curiosity-piquing highlight along the route. Despite the pleasant distractions of the landscape, it is hard to miss the heavily wooded turn to the Montpelier estate, for multiple forest green signs are placed along the roadside, announcing the mileage to Montpelier and the direction to turn to find your way to the estate.

Just beyond the white wooden gates of the entryway lie two mini guard booths; the employees manning the booths are a critical resource for the Montpelier tourist. The last leg of the journey to the historic home is the most complex, though also the most picturesque. Follow the smooth asphalt of an unmarked road, which leads through the heavily forested estate of Montpelier, over a small creek, and past several pastures dotted with grazing horses, directly to the front lawn of the great house itself.

While the first glimpse of Montpelier, a lovely red-brick house with hunter green shutters and a grand portico ensconced within Ionic, white-washed columns, is extremely pleasing, the true appeal of the historic home lies within the walls of the estate. To gain access to the home, and to the historical knowledge within, follow the road beyond the next bend, from which the Visitors Center, a modern accompaniment to the Montpelier estate, comes into view. The information center for the estate is standard in function but exemplary in design and content, striking a critical balance between mirroring the style of Montpelier itself and adding a modern bent to avoid the appearance of artificiality. Floor-to-ceiling windows provide a visually appealing entryway to the center, which houses both an educational wing and a gift shop.

The effect of the sunlight mirrors the dual uses of the room, for it is both functional and playful. As visitors seek out a crash course in the life and times of the Madison family, an ad hoc lesson that can be attained by reading the text printed upon plaster columns that are arranged throughout the left side of the Visitors Center, sunlight illuminates the unique textual display. Across the linoleum floor of the Visitor Center lie pedestals on which numerous gift displays are arranged. The gift shop sells a wide assortment of mementos, ranging from china embossed with the official Madison toile pattern to unakite jewelry, made from the state gem of Virginia.

The sunlight filtering through this wing of the building illuminates glass ornaments featuring hand-painted images of Montpelier and jars of homemade local jams and jellies, catching the visitor’s eye and luring them to the cash register. Within a small theater in the interior of the Visitor’s Center, a twelve minute movie exploring the history of the Madison family and describing the contemporary renovations occurring at Montpelier plays continuously. More than just a savvy way to lure elementary school students into a historical discussion, the short film is a highly enjoyable entrée to the 18th and 19th century world that lies within the walls of Montpelier - and the visitor’s imagination.

After the film concludes with a series of snapshots of the modern Montpelier at its most triumphant, during the 2008 ceremony to celebrate the conclusion of the first phase of renovations, the spectators are ushered out the back entrance of the theater and instructed to follow a gravel path to the Madisons’ home. Having successfully navigated the roadways leading to Montpelier and the intellectual and commercial lures of the Visitors Center, the exciting conclusion to the hunt for history awaits.

On a quiet day, when the pebbled path to Montpelier is empty and the woods leading to the home reverberate with the sounds of nature rather than schoolchildren’s voices, the past and present seem to blend imperceptibly. In this fleeting state of timelessness, you can sense the peaceful aura that must have pervaded the Madison estate in 1765, when the President’s father, James Madison, Sr., moved his family into the newly completed home. Scaling the five concrete stairs leading to the veranda of the Madison home and turning to face the verdant lawn gently sloping into a vista of rolling hillsides is a thrilling part of the Montpelier experience.

When the central set of cream double doors is opened, a guide wearing muted shades of gray, offset by a red kerchief bearing the seal of Montpelier, welcomes you to the home of President James Madison. Though they break the aura of historical intimacy that is established between the traveler and his surroundings during the private walk through the forest, the guides offer more than adequate compensation: insight into the living quarters and the life of the fourth president of the United States, his charming wife, Dolley, and the extended Madison family.

To the immediate left of the glass rimmed entryway is the elegant Madison drawing room, which was, and continues to be, the focal point of Montpelier. During James and Dolley’s time, the drawing room served as the entertaining center of the house, where the homeowners and their guests would retire after dinner to enjoy a game of cards or to be regaled by the tunes of the piano forte that was housed in this spot. Today, the points of interest in the room are the replicas of paintings that would have graced the walls during Madison’s day.

To the right of the fireplace hangs a duplicate of the sole painting that remains intact from the Madison home, entitled “Pan, Youth, and Nymphs” and depicting the mythological characters in the title. Adjoining the pivotal drawing room is the sitting room of the matriarch of Montpelier, Mrs. Madison. The President’s mother lived to the age of 97; she died a mere seven years before her famous son. In addition to the main sitting room, Mother Madison resided over a private bedroom at the back of the house. Together, these first three rooms comprise the near entirety of the east wing of Montpelier, an addition that James Madison commissioned in 1812, during his first term as President.

While the first floor was used for entertaining the public, the second story of Montpelier was where much of Madison’s private work was conducted; the work that would be so influential in the formation of the United States Constitution. Three bedchambers dominate the upper floor, one of which includes access to a lovely terrace, from which the domestic slaves’ quarters and the estate’s two outdoor kitchens, one for Dolley and one for her mother-in-law, are visible. One of the bedrooms remains in an intentionally unfinished state, so as to display the interior structure of the house.

The focal point of the second story is undoubtedly Madison’s library, where the President spent the winter of 1786 preparing for the Constitutional Convention that would be held in Philadelphia the following summer. After studying the established political institutions and governing principles of the European nation-states, Madison formulated a prescription for national governance, which was later dubbed the Virginia Plan. This representational model became incorporated into the compromise that formed our bicameral national legislature, with representation in the House of Representatives apportioned according to state population and in the Senate distributed equally amongst the states.

Despite the pivotal role that Madison played in the formulation of the U.S. Constitution, including his proposal of a Bill of Rights, he rejected the title of “Father of the Constitution,” which has since become synonymous with his name. The ever modest Madison asserted that the Constitution arose from the collaboration of many statesmen – and should be recognized as such. Madison’s political career skyrocketed following the Constitutional Convention; after serving as a key advisor to President George Washington and as Secretary of State to Thomas Jefferson, Madison was elected president in 1808, then reelected in 1812.

The tour of Montpelier concludes where Madison’s life also did, in the President’s bedroom in the west wing of the house. On June 28, 1836, President Madison issued his last words to his niece, responding to her inquiries into his health by stating that he was experiencing “nothing more than a change in state of mind,” and immediately passed away. The eloquently moving words of a leader imbue the now sparse room with a power that penetrates not only the essence of the house but the soul of the visitor.

As you leave Montpelier and retrace your steps across the pebbled path, en route to the comforts of the Visitors Center for a snack in the Courtyard Café, a memento from the gift shop, or a last look at the history of the Madison homestead, savor the refurbished authenticity of the estate. The home has passed through a variety of hands, and undergone an equal number of alterations, in the intervening 173 years since President Madison’s death. After being sold by Dolley Madison in 1844, in an effort to pay off the Madison debt that remained even after the President’s memoirs were sold for $30,000, Montpelier’s transformation began.

At the turn of the 20th century, William and Annie DuPont purchased Montpelier, choosing to preserve the grounds but also to enlarge the house. In 1984, the heirs of the last direct DuPont descendent, Marion DuPont Scott, endowed Montpelier to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, returning the home to the public care. In 2000, the Montpelier Foundation assumed stewardship of the estate, and in 2003 a pivotal, and ongoing, restoration was begun. Though the architectural restoration of the house was completed in 2008, two phases of decorative refurbishment remain.

In the interim, Montpelier continues to draw visitors from the East Coast to the plains states, and its trustees continue to invite special guests for the annual September 17th celebration of Constitution Day, when our founding document was signed. This year, former wife of the Vice President and children’s book author Lynn Cheney graced the halls of Montpelier and read to 250 schoolchildren from the impressive porch of the great house. Next year…well, next year remains a mystery to be unveiled, along with the original coats of paint on the walls of Montpelier, the archaeological remains of the Dolley Madison kitchen, and the 17 missing mantelpieces of the Madison home. Mark your calendars now; the excitement of Montpelier lives on in the halls of the great house and the minds of the hundreds of annual visitors.