Camp David in Maryland is the official resort of the US President. However, three famous former country estates are in Virginia.
Although Donald Trump (74) regularly retires to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, the US President's official resort, Camp David, is located in Maryland on the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Both places are closely guarded. However, the retreats of the three founding fathers and former US presidents George Washington (1732-1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) and James Madison (1751-1836) are open to visitors. All three stately homes are located in the US state of Virginia and have a lot to show for history – which is why a visit (after the corona pandemic) is definitely worthwhile.
Mount Vernon: George Washington's retreat just outside the capital
The Mount Vernon property is located in northeast Virginia, directly on the Potomac River, about 25 kilometers south of the capital Washington D.C. The historic main house, which George Washington took over from his father in 1761, according to the official website, also includes a mill, a farm, gardens and a working still. Although the aspiring statesman was often on the move, he insisted on overseeing all decisions regarding design, construction and decoration himself. The architectural features should clarify its rank and status.
The former home of the very first US President and his wife Martha was originally built in 1734 and expanded to its present size over 45 years after 1754. The main house has a total of 21 rooms and the entire property extends over almost 3,000 hectares. Up to a million visitors to Mount Vernon are expected to walk in the footsteps of George Washington each year, which is why the tourism website "Visit the USA" describes the property as "the most visited historical site in the USA". George Washington and his wife found their final resting place here.
In addition to guided tours through two floors of the imposing main house with its restored and splendidly furnished rooms, tourists can also enjoy a journey through time when they visit. Performers in authentic costumes demonstrate how the people of Mount Vernon lived and worked in the 18th century, and different animals still live in the stable and on the Pioneer Farm. And if that's not steeped in history enough, the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center will get your money's worth. It illuminates George Washington's life in a total of seven galleries, countless exhibits and a modern 4D cinema.
Monticello: Thomas Jefferson's slave-run estate
Like Washington, Thomas Jefferson was one of the founding fathers of the United States and also the lead author of the Declaration of Independence. 33 years before he was sworn in as third president in 1801, the state theorist began to have a country house built according to his own designs on his plantation near the city of Charlottesville. Most of the work was completed in 1809, but Jefferson kept making changes until his death in 1826. The official website of the property therefore describes Monticello as an "autobiographical masterpiece".
Monticello (translated: "Little Mountain") is shaped by different influences in Thomas Jefferson's life. The National Park Service (NPS) writes that while he was a diplomat in France, he was enthusiastic about neoclassicism and incorporated the architectural features into his house. The decor reflects Jefferson's ingenuity: there are disappearing beds, folding doors and a clock that is still operated with weights and pulleys. A few hidden rooms are only accessible through a door that looks like a closet from the outside.
During the tours offered, visitors learn a lot about the life of Jefferson, his estate and his 2,000 acre plantation. The fact that he criticized slavery as an institution, but kept almost 600 slaves in his life, is not left out. The tour itself leads past their homes and workrooms. The latter were located to the side of the main house on lower ground so that they could not (or had to) be seen from the home's rooms.
Montpelier: The imposing family estate of James Madison
The fourth US President, James Madison, lived on his Montpelier estate for 76 years. The family of the "father of the constitution", as the NPS calls the Founding Father, had owned the estate since 1723, but it is estimated that the first parts of today's main house were not built until the 1760s. Even then, the masonry was mainly made of brick – a sign of the high status and prosperity of the family, which in Montpelier formed a kind of multi-generational household for a long time.
A visit to the Virginia estate provides plenty of historical insight that sheds light on the friendship between Madison and Thomas Jefferson. Allegedly, the third US president even advised his successor to add the front portal with the Tuscan columns to the main house, which he himself had built in Monticello. According to the property's website, the dark side of the story is not neglected here either, because a total of six generations of slaves lived in Montpelier over the decades.
In addition to several guided tours, the on-site visitor center has a museum that displays numerous personal items belonging to the Madison family. The entire estate, which with just under 1,100 hectares is the smallest of the three presidential properties presented, can also be explored by visitors on laid out paths. And like its "big siblings" Monticello and Mount Vernon, Montpelier also has an extensive online offering – certainly a welcome, location-independent alternative in times of Corona.