Charlottesville, VA

We are taking a side trip out of DC to do some sightseeing.  Charlottesville is where Thomas Jefferson lived before his presidency and where he spent his final years.  The downtown area is filled with shops, many used bookstores (temptation), past presidents and restaurants. 

 We wandered around after we arrived and had a light dinner in one of the old restaurants. 

The next day we began our visit with Jefferson’s grand finale, the University of Virginia.  We don’t usually find more than brochures at Visitors Centers, but we lucked out on this trip.  The woman at the Center advised us about a student led tour of the University.  We were on our guide’s last tour; she graduates in a few weeks.  The information she shared made us more knowledgeable and more appreciative of this great institution.

This statue is considered the most lifelike of Jefferson.

We started our tour by visiting the small chapel with some beautiful stained glass windows. The chapel was built after Jefferson's death.  He did not include a chapel in his plans because of his belief in the strict separation of church and state and the university is a state institution.

Jefferson saw this university as an “Academical Village,” yes, that was his phrase.  He wanted teachers and students to live and study together the great subjects of the time.  Chartered in 1810, it was designed by Jefferson.  Construction of the buildings, mostly made of brick, was done by skilled slaves. 

With the Rotunda (unfortunately under restoration at this time) as the focal point,  “The Lawn” stretches out with ten Pavilions lining the sides. 

 The Pavilions were home and classroom for the professors.  They lived on the top floors and taught their classes on the ground floor.

This is a view of the ground floor room.

In between the Pavilions were student rooms.  The idea of having the students close to the professors was that they could interact at all times of the day or night.  The students were not allowed to bring their own slaves to the university because Jefferson supplied his slaves to attend to their needs.   Today professors and selected fourth-year students still live in these quarters.

Jefferson held the university to high standards starting with a 4 am bell ringing to waken the students.  The students did not like those standards and frequently tensions broke out between them and the teachers, with the students riding horses across the lawn, firing guns and creating chaos.  While the professors were from Europe and well distinguished, the students were rich, white sons of plantation owners who liked privilege more than study.  Things settled down after a student accidently killed a professor.

Presidents Madison and Monroe joined Jefferson at the laying of the cornerstone though it was a slave who did the actual “laying.”  Later buildings were added at the end of the Lawn but not in keeping with the original architectural style.

One of the first famous students was Edgar Allen Poe, a good student but unable to afford more than two semesters.  His room is refurnished with items from his youth. 

Our docent recommended lunch at The Virginians, opened in 1923 and considered the oldest restaurant in town.  Jerry’s burger was good and Anna Lee’s crab cake delicious.

We took a ride around town on the free trolley and enjoyed seeing more of the campus.

Then we followed the Visitor Center woman’s advice and went to a local farm and wine tasting.  The winery we visited has a polo field in the back and the wine bottles are decorated with polo terms.  

 We had to bring some wine samples back to the RV.

Weather report: Last night’s threat of golf ball size hail was only thunder, lightning and some heavy rain.  We are having a repeat tonight.