North America through slave trade and made into a distinctively Philadelphian dish by colonial Black women during the nineteenth century.
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Behind the scenes filming at Montpelier for America the Bountiful!
Dontavius Williams and Capri Cafaro showed us how to make Pepper Pot soup - stew of beef, vegetables, pepper and other seasonings. The soup was first made in West Africa and the Caribbean before being brought to
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the grounds, then offering outdoor tours with limited time in the House. Today, we are happy to be back in full operations!
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In keeping up with our silver anniversary we are looking at all The Montpelier Foundation has accomplished in the last 25 years! Today we look at The COVID-19 Pandemic.
In 2020 The Montpelier Foundation adapted to the evolving COVID-19 guidance by temporarily closing to the public, then reopening
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(2/3)“I am getting well as fast as I can, for I have the reward in view of seeing my beloved when I do... I have written you every day since we parted … Farewell, until tomorrow my best friend! Think of thy wife! who thinks and dreams of thee!”
Hilarie Hicks photo, Montpelier
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Two framed silhouettes of Dolley and James Madison. The silhouettes are cut from black paper and are mounted on a light background. The two silhouettes are framed separately and are hung from black ribbons, facing each other.
(1/3) #JamesMadison & #DolleyMadison were rarely apart during their 4 decades of #marriage, but when they were, their #loveletters conveyed the strength of their connection.
#OTD 1805, when Dolley was in Philadelphia for medical treatment, she wrote to James:
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(2/3) She asked friends to shop for “Mackeroni” or “maccaroni” for her (apparently not an easy thing to buy in Orange, VA in the 1830s/40s). The Madisons owned Mary Randolph’s cookbook “The Virginia Housewife,” with a recipe for baked #macaroni layered with cheese and butter. Yum!
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The Dining Room table at Montpelier, as seen from the hostess's seat at the head of the table. The table is set with blue and white Chinese export porcelain dishes. There is a large covered tureen and a silver ladle in front of the hostess's plate.
(1/3) On #WorldPastaDay, how about some #macandcheese with the Madisons?
Although we usually associate #DolleyMadison with ice cream, Dolley liked #pasta too.
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(2/2) Engraving of Philadelphia by James Trenchard after Charles Willson Peale, courtesy of Library of Congress.
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A print titled “A N. W. View of the State House in Philadelphia taken 1778” (Independence Hall). The two-story building is facing an empty street. There is a clock on the end of the building facing us. Behind the building is a much taller tower with a cupola and a weathervane.
(1/2) #OTD 1793 Dolley lost her first husband John Todd Jr. and baby William Temple Todd to #yellowfever as it ravaged #Philadelphia. John Todd’s parents also died in the epidemic. Dolley, who had been ill herself, was now a widow with a 2-yr-old son, John Payne Todd.
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(2/2) #MontpelierNamingProject #SayTheirNames #Blackhistory #AmericanHistory #InvisibleFounders #CompleteAmericanStory @jmmdescendants @SavingPlaces
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PETER
Peter performed valuable services for the Madisons on a trip to Philadelphia in 1805. By 1829, he was worth "nothing" to the appraisers of Nelly Madison's estate.
The Naming Project
(1/2) #OTD 1805, #DolleyMadison mentioned #enslaved carriage driver Peter in a letter to her husband. Dolley was in #Philadelphia for medical treatment, and was anxious for Peter to return and tell her that he had driven James safely back to Washington DC. More: www.montpelier.org/the-naming-p...
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(2/2) the 3rd toast (followed by 9 cheers) went to
“#JamesMadison, President of the United States—May his firmness perpetuate the government which his wisdom contributed to establish!”
We'll drink to that!
Engraving after John Vanderlyn, c/o Montpelier, a National Trust site.
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An engraving of James Madison, in an oval frame. Madison is in profile, wearing a dark suit and a white cravat. His hairline is receding, and his hair is tied back at the back of his neck.
(1/2) #OTD 1809, a “large and brilliant company” attended a public dinner in Richmond honoring retired President #ThomasJefferson, with a series of 17 formal #toasts. After a toast to “the People of the U. States” and another to “the Union of American States,”
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Montpelier's Edible Alphabet - Montpelier
From Apples to Yams, it's a harvest of research into foods grown by enslaved gardeners at Montpelier.
(3/3) The fact that Madison was aware of this new variety tracks with his ongoing interest in #agricultural improvement.
To learn more, check out our blog post, “Montpelier’s Edible Alphabet”! www.montpelier.org/montpeliers-...
Image by NoName_13 from Pixabay
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(2/3) Madison suggested “limber twigs or Rawle’s Jenniting.” The Limbertwigs apple gets its name from its drooping branches. “Rawle’s Jenniting” was probably the apple called Ralls Janet or Jannetting, grown by an #AmherstCounty #Virginia nurseryman, Caleb Ralls, in the 1790s.
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A ripe red apple hangs from a branch, surrounded by green leaves, with other apples in the background.
(1/3) It’s #NationalAppleDay!
#Apples were an important crop at Montpelier. In 1790 James Madison left instructions for enslaved overseer Sawney “To plant about 200 apple Trees either before Christmas or very early in the Spring, in the little field on the top of the Mountain.”
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(2/2) If $15 million sounds like a lot, consider that it was a #bargain at only 4 cents per acre!
Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration.
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The Louisiana Purchase treaty in a decorative cover with gilt trim on the edges and in the center. Attached to it is a "skippet," a round flat box for holding the official seal.
(1/2) The #treaty’s not final till the #diplomats exchange the versions their governments ratified, and that’s what #SecretaryofState #JamesMadison and French diplomat Louis-Andre Pichon did with the #LouisianaPurchase treaty #OTD in 1803.
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A plaster bust of the elderly James Madison. The neckline is draped with a Roman-style toga. Madison's faced is wrinkled, and his mouth turns downward.
(1/2) John H. I. Browere visited Montpelier in Oct. 1825 to make a life mask of #JamesMadison, applying layers of plaster to his face. This bust is as close as we can get to looking Madison in the face! Montpelier repro of bust from @FenimoreArt, gift of Stephen C. Clark.
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CATHARINE TAYLOR
Catharine "Caty" Taylor was often separated from her husband Ralph when Dolley Madison lived in Washington. After Dolley's son died, Caty sued for her family's freedom.
The Naming Project
Today we look at Catharine Taylor, who sued for her #family’s #freedom. Read more at www.montpelier.org/the-naming-p...
#SayTheirNames #BlackHistory #AmericanHistory #InvisibleFounders #CompleteAmericanStory @jmmdescendants @SavingPlaces
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(3/3) Whatever your political persuasion, take some time to check out the #sampleballot for your voting district, learn what the candidates think about the issues important to you, and then make a plan to cast your #vote!
Larry Bouterie photo, courtesy of Montpelier Foundation.
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(2/3) “Knowledge will for ever govern ignorance: and a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”
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A pocket watch sits atop a pile of newspapers with titles like "National Intelligencer" and "Niles' Register." A feather pen and some folded letters sealed with sealing wax are also visible.
(1/3) It’s not a presidential #election year, but have you researched your state and local #candidates? As #JamesMadison wrote to W. T. Barry on August 4, 1822:
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exhibition was carried out over two decades. The exhibition includes not only the re-creation of 6 structures of the domestic slave community near the house, but also a video and interactive presentations throughout the house’s cellars.
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oppressive dominion ever exercised by man over man” has occurred in “the most enlightened period of time” due to “the mere distinction of colour”.
The archaeology investigation, research, and collaboration with the descendants of Montpelier’s enslaved people required to create this award winning
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