Monticello

If you have ever looked at the back of an American Nickel, chances are you have seen a buffalo, or this building.  This is Monticello, the home of our third president, Thomas Jefferson.  My mom and I had gone to visit this famous Virginia plantation a few days before we went to a reenactment.  Jefferson was not only a president of the United States of America, but he was also an inventor.  He had various inventions within his own home that made his life easier.  These things ranged from things such as a weather vane that showed wind direction on a monitor on the porch, to a pulley system that brought fresh wine up from the wine cellar for guests.  Outside of his home, he had a large garden for a backyard, which was surrounded by underground outbuildings which served as slave quarters.  During his lifetime, it is said that Jefferson actually owned over 100 slaves and was considered one of the largest slave owners in Virginia.  Jefferson was also the president who agreed to the Louisiana Purchase from France.  After his presidency, he returned to Monticello where he spent his final days, often visiting friends such as James Madison, who followed Jefferson as president.