Student historians restorate Montpelier to original condition

Students from JMU’s historical society, the Madison Historians, volunteered at James Madison’s Montpelier on Saturday to discover clues for restoration of the current building to its original structure.

“We had a really good time working with the staff at Montpelier,” junior Amanda Fox said. “They taught us a lot about the different artifacts we were discovering — a small piece of bone or pottery can tell so much about the past.”

The members worked with professional archeologists who search for clues into the life of James Madison. They scrubbed small rocks, sifted through bits of clay and witnessed parts of the house being taken apart brick by brick. The bricks, as well as doors, windows, glass, and parts of the roof will be restored back to their original condition.

“We worked with the archeologists to uncover bits and pieces of the former Madison mansion, Mount Pleasant,” said junior Morgan Pierce, Madison Historian member.

“The clues we found helped to display things such as the dishes used and food they cooked,” she said.

On Oct. 20, 2003, the Montpelier Foundation announced its plans to completely restore the mansion to its original settings when James Madison owned the home in the 1820s.

The students also were given a special tour of the grounds and a portion of the basement where the slaves dwelled.

“When we weren’t busy at work, we were able to see where the food was prepared,” sophomore Erin Brunner said.

“The servants had a separate set of stairs and walkways designed so they wouldn’t be seen throughout the house.”

Upon completion, the home will consist of its original brick exterior, instead of the painted peach panel visitors see today. The entire third floor of the mansion will be torn down for historical accuracy and parts of the back of the house will be demolished. Some doors and windows taken from the original home and added to the modern additions will be placed back into James Madison’s portion of the house.

“The last du Pont owner of Montpelier willed for the house to return to its original structure and donated $10 million for that purpose,” Fox said.

The legacy of modern additions and renovations will not be forgotten, since a large portion of the visitor’s center will be devoted to changes to the mansion.

Members of the Madison Historians volunteer two Saturdays per semester at Madison’s home in Orange.

“Talking to people who have devoted their lives to putting the pieces of this puzzle together really opened my eyes to the practical uses of history in a field such as archeology,” said club member Aisander Duda.

“It really made the history come alive seeing some of the artifacts first hand.”