James madison's
montpelier
Montpelier is a property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This well-preserved 2,650-acre estate in Orange County, Virginia, was the lifelong home of James Madison. Its history begins with settlement by James Madison's grandfather in the 1720s, and includes slaves who worked and lived on the plantation, Civil War soldiers who encamped on the property, and a freedman's family who lived and farmed here after Emancipation.
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In 1901 Montpelier was purchased by William duPont, a leading industrialist, and it remained in the duPont family for most of the 20th century. Upon the senior William duPont's death in 1928, Montpelier became the home of his daughter Marion duPont Scott. She and her brother, William, transformed Montpelier into one of the nation's leading equestrian estates and played an important role in the establishing and promoting racing on the flat and steeplechasing in America.
Hours:
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM Thursday - Monday
#VisitPurelyPiedmont
"The gift shop is pretty large and there was a small exhibit on Dolley Madison."
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"Montpelier is fairly "new" in that it's been open less than 10 years after renovation so even though I visited the area as a kid, this was my first chance to visit it. Wow! The house and grounds are beautiful and I'm amazed judging by how it looked when the last owners left how much effort to restore and research it takes to get things back to normal."