Improbable but true, three of America's first five presidents died on July 4: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams on the very same day in 1826 and James Monroe in 1831.  After 50 years of public service Monroe had hoped to retire to Highland (now called Ash Lawn-Highland), his rural Virginia home. His long years of government work, however, had so impoverished him that he was forced to sell Highland.  The loss was undoubtedly easier to bear because earlier that year his close friend and neighbor, Jefferson had died.

Monroe built Highland at Jefferson's urging.  The Sage of Monticello wanted to create "a society to our taste." He envisioned surrounding himself with a coterie of interesting and stimulating friends. The young James Monroe, who had studied law with Jefferson after the American Revolution, was happy to oblige his mentor.

In 1793 Monroe spent $1,000 for 1,000 acres adjoining Monticello.  Before he could begin building, President Washington, another Virginian with whom Monroe had close ties, having served under him at Valley Forge, appointed Monroe Minister to France.  In the entrance hall of Ash Lawn-Highland is a copy of the Leutze painting, Washington Crossing the Delaware, which portrays Monroe holding the flag behind his commander.

Not wanting the house project to languish while Monroe was out of the country, Jefferson enlisted the help of James Madison and the two of them, with Monroe's uncle, Joseph Jones, began the planning of Monroe's house.  Jefferson also sent his gardener over to begin landscaping the grounds.  Monroe dubbed his home a "cabin-castle" because, though the exterior was simple, the interior was furnished with Neoclassical French Empire pieces that the Monroes acquired aborad.  On your tour of the house you'll see a portrait of their daughter Eliza's life-long friend, Hortense de Beauharnais, daughter of the Empress Josephine, who became Queen of Holland and the mother of Napoleon III.  There is also a portrait of the headmistress of the French school attended by Eliza and Hortense.  In the drawing room you'll see a marble bust of Napoleon Bonaparte, a gift to Monroe.  The study has a copy of the Louis XVI desk used by Monroe when he was president.

Monroe, like his friend George Washington, was taller than average.  The highpost bed was big enough to accommodate his six-foot frame.  Although it is the only Monroe piece in the master  bedchamber, the rest of the furnishings are from Monroe’s time.  You'll learn that the wooden working parts of the case clock were greased with fat.  This attracted mice and may have provided the inspiration for the popular nursery rhyme.

Ash Lawn is operated today by James Monroe's alma mater, the College of William and Mary.  Thomas Jefferson and John Tyler were also alumni.  The college maintains the 535-acre estate as a 19th-century working plantation.  A dozen peacocks strut in the boxwood garden and an abundance of nature can be enjoyed year-round.  Spring and summer bring flowers and herbs, as well as the Ashlawn-Highland Summer Festival, two months of opera, musical theater and family entertainment.  Vegetables are harvested in the fall and in winter Christmas trees can be cut at Ash Lawn-Highland.  Traditional farm crafts are demonstrated throughout the year.

Ash Lawn-Highland is open March through October from 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.  From November through February, hours are 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.  It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.  Admission is charged.

Directions:  From I-95 in the Richmond area take I-64 west to Charlottesville, then use Exit 121.  Follow signs to the Charlottesville/Albemarle County visitor center and continue past that, then turn left on Route 53 past Monticello. Make a right turn on Route 795, the James Monroe Parkway, for Ash Lawn-Highland.