Ash-Lawn Highland - James Monroe plantation

We found out by accident that James Monroe's home Ash-Lawn Highland was nearby (didn't know that when we planned the trip) so we decided to head on over.  

On New Year's Day, 1825, at the last of his annual White House receptions, President James Monroe made a pleasing impression upon a Virginia lady who shook his hand:

"He is tall and well formed. His dress plain and in the old style.... His manner was quiet and dignified. From the frank, honest expression of his eye ... I think he well deserves the encomium passed upon him by the great Jefferson, who said, 'Monroe was so honest that if you turned his soul inside out there would not be a spot on it.' "

 The photo here shows Monroe home. The yellow part was originally white but was torn down after a fire in the 1800s and rebuilt in Victorian style. The white part is still exactly the same, even down to the paint on the walls and their dishes! I was amazed at how people back then knew to keep all of these homes the same, not sell stuff off or tear it down. This view is from their side door (or back yard) that lead to the gardens.

This is the the back view of his home. The balcony is the ground level from the other side. The basement was the cellar, kitchen, etc.  The path you see leads to the slaves quarters and the guest quarters.

 These are the slave and quest quarters. All still very original!

 I fell in love with all the gardens on these plantations. This one is very small and private.

 From the end of the garden by the gate you can look up to the left center and see a small patch of grass. In those trees you can see a red roof line - that is Thomas Jefferson's Monticello! That close! How neat that would be to have friends like that!

This was a sampliing of the exact tools they had there at Monroe's home. A waffle iron! The metal square you see on the left is a brick of actual tea. I guess it was all packed very tightly and marked with a print in small squares. When broken apart each little square would serve 25 people with tea! So when they had the "Tea Party" it was bricks like these they threw into Boston Harbor.