Episodes

  • Restoring Monticello's Flower Gardens

    Restoring Monticello's Flower Gardens
    May 31 2024
    In 1924 Monticello’s new owners began the process of restoring the gardens Jefferson had designed for his mountaintop home. But after a century of differing uses—and sometimes outright neglect—by various owners and caretakers, very little evidence remained of Jefferson’s original plans and plantings. It was a daunting task, and it could have ended quite differently were it not for the perseverance, personalities, and ingenuity of several individuals committed to restoring Jefferson’s vision. In this episode of our “In the Course of Human Events” podcast, Monticello’s Curator of Plants, Peggy Cornett — with help from colleagues Monticello Senior Historian Ann Lucas and guide Elizabeth Lukas — tells the story of how two relatively young organizations, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation and the Garden Club of Virginia, worked together to restore Jefferson’s unique vision for his flower gardens and laid the groundwork for future historic landscape restoration projects at Monticello and elsewhere across the United States.
    Show More Show Less
    21 mins
  • Family and Freedom: Critta Hemings and Zachariah Bowles

    Family and Freedom: Critta Hemings and Zachariah Bowles
    May 24 2024
    13 mins
  • Fruit Grafting and Jefferson's Favorite Garden Nurseries

    Fruit Grafting and Jefferson's Favorite Garden Nurseries
    May 17 2024
    18 mins
  • The President and The Naturalist: Humboldt's Trailblazing Travels

    The President and The Naturalist: Humboldt's Trailblazing Travels
    May 10 2024
    10 mins
  • The Life and "Happiness" of Martha Wayles Jefferson

    The Life and "Happiness" of Martha Wayles Jefferson
    May 4 2024
    36 mins
  • Dome Rooms, Cat Holes, and Fairy Palaces

    Dome Rooms, Cat Holes, and Fairy Palaces
    Apr 27 2024
    In a recent episode, we focused on the more influential aspects of Jefferson’s architecture. But in a conversation like that we can miss out on other details. Monticello guide Kyle Chattleton shares with us how the nooks and crannies of the third floor of Jefferson’s home can point to smaller, yet still memorable stories.
    Show More Show Less
    3 mins
  • Gardening Granddaughters, Hyacinths, and Tree Clumps

    Gardening Granddaughters, Hyacinths, and Tree Clumps
    Apr 19 2024
    20 mins
  • The Great Eclipse

    The Great Eclipse
    Apr 14 2024
    Eclipses come and go, but these marvels of nature always draw attention from astronomers — both professional and amateur — across the globe. In this episode, Monticello guide Kyle Chattleton explores the stories of two eclipses that occurred during Thomas Jefferson's lifetime, and how both point to his pursuit of scientific knowledge.
    Show More Show Less
    3 mins