Monticello

When I used to travel around the U.S. for my sports team, my mother always made the point to take me to well know historical landmark or parks after a long day of playing. I've seen Joshua Tree Park, Williamsburg, and even Gettysburg. No other trip was more memorable and intriguing to me then visiting Thomas Jefferson's house, Monticello. Even though I didn't mind visiting all these sites, I never found them so interesting that I would want to visit them at my own free will.

We bought our tickets and took a bus ride up to the large white mansion. The estate was very large on the top of a large hill. As the tour started I noticed that each part of the building's location or even objects in the house had a function and was designed very strategically. The house was nothing compared to the housing we see today. In some sense it was its own community. The large gardens on two beveled out levels provided enough fresh produce to consider it the grocery store. There was a lower level to the house that included storage for the wines, and stable. There was a elevator system in the house, a intricate clock system through the use of weights that told the time as well as the day of the week. Even though the house is over a hundred years old you could envision the brain capacity of Thomas Jefferson and how inventive he actually was. I made you feel like you were in a flashback and could actually envision how the household operated on a day to day basis. Not only that, but it also made you question Thomas Jefferson. Like, if he was so inventive and his estate mainly sustained itself, then how did he become so broke that he was forced to sell his personal books from his library? It could have been the way the tour presented itself and was set up, but I was not walking aimlessly looking at foreign objects that I could not relate too. This was the first time I was not done thinking after the tour guide ended us conveniently at the gift shop. I wanted to explore the estate some more and wondered what it would be like if buildings were constructed the same way today in order to accommodate independent living conditions.

The movement of preservation could be considered to be started by Ann Pamela Cunningham with saving Mt. Vernon. She seemed to set the example for future preservation organizations to develop. As the movement increased it seemed that almost every president or director of the National Trust is a male, and still is today. My opinion is that since women were not have a lot of rights until the early 1900s, it was hard for them to contribute to the program besides volunteering. Realistically, men made the money to help finance the programs just like John D. Rockefeller and Colonial Williamsburg. Also the key point where men could help grow the National Trust compared to women is being able to influence congress. Fredrick Rath was able to obtain a congressional charter which allowed them national status and ultimately giving the National Trust authority to their statements and positions.