Exploring MONTPELIER: TOUR of JAMES MADISON'S Historic Home

Welcome to our tour of James Madison's home, Montpelier! We're touring inside of James Madison's home, exploring the personal life, retirement, and death of America's fourth President!

This Presidential home in Montpelier Station, Virginia did not always look like how it does today. The original home was funded by James Madison's father and was built by slave labor. Even though the original home was much smaller than it is now--when it was constructed in the 1760s--it was the largest home in Orange County, Virginia!

If you take a tour of Montpelier, the first room you'll enter is the South Passage. This was the entrance to the original house. The hallway includes some incredible European paintings that were purchased by Dolley Madison's son, John Payne Todd.

The first room you enter, from the South Passage, is Nelly's best room. This room was primarily occupied by James Madison's mom, Nelly Conway Madison. In fact, James Madison lived in this home with his wife, Dolley Madison, and his parents!

The Montpelier Foundation has done a great job in explaining the history of the home's construction. In our Montpelier travel vlog, we'll share the evolution of this Presidential home with you. Essentially, James Madison significantly expanded the home, after his father passed away, shaping it into the classic Georgian house you see today.

Virginia has a lot of historic homes you can tour but few homes have seen as many famous visitors as Montpelier. From Thomas Jefferson to James Monroe to the Marquis de Lafayette, Montpelier has hosted a lot of famous guests. James Madison would entertain his famous friends in the drawing room.

Although James Madison was the Father of the U.S. Constitution, he had hundreds of slaves--none of which he freed in his will. His most well-known slave, Paul Jennings, had a front row seat to the conversations Madison would have with his friends about slavery and politics. Jennings was even at Madison's bedside when he passed away. This relationship is displayed in the dining room of Montpelier.

In his retirement, James Madison was rather destitute; his plantation was yielding little profits and he needed to find a way to make money. We'll share the rooms with you in which Madison organized his papers for publication as well as where he wrote the framework for the U.S. Constitution.

Lastly, we'll take you into the room James Madison passed away in as well as visit the Madison Family Cemetery to see the resting place of both James and Dolley Madison.

This was our first time returning to Montpelier in 10 years! Not only did it refresh our memories but we learned a lot about the home's construction and the lives that lived within this historic Virginian home.

What room of this home was your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
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Vlog 71 | Montpelier Station, VA | Filmed: April 29th, 2023
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LEARN MORE
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TIMESTAMPS ⏰
0:00 Introduction
0:25 Montpelier's Beginnings
0:58 The Original Portion of the House
1:28 James and Dolley's return to Montpelier
1:42 Nelly's Best Room
2:08 Drawing Room
2:50 James Madison's Retirement
3:25 New Library
3:53 Dining Room & Slavery
5:05 Beginnings of the U.S. Constitution
5:39 Room where Madison Passed Away
6:13 Graves of James and Dolley Madison
7:14 Video Debrief
7:49 Bloopers
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MUSIC 🎵
Minuet for Violins by Cercles Nouvelles
Cotton and Strangers by Candelion
Classico Italiano by Cercles Nouvelles
Get the Table Set by Arthur Benson
Bookshelves by Cercles Nouvelles
The Far Traveller by Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen, Anna Dager, and Hanna Ekstrom
Building our New Life by Leimoti
The Voice of the Father by Lama House
Life in Bits and Pieces by Rikard From
Wistful by Megan Wofford
Rain Outside, Sun Within by Arthur Benson
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ABOUT US 👫🏻
We’re The Stewarts—high school sweethearts from the DC Metropolitan Area. We’re full-time professionals and part-time explorers. We don’t use fancy equipment or snazzy editing but we strive to document our travels so we can remember the big moments and the small moments. We love exploring nature, discovering new places, touring historic sites, and sharing fun facts. We’ll show and tell you about our travels, so come join us!
#jamesmadisonmontpelier #montpelierhometour #tourofmontpelier #presidentialhomes #montpeliertravelvlog #virginiatravelvlog #historicalhometour #uspresidenthome #jamesmadisonhome #montpellier #montpeliervirginia

[williamthaxtoniii]

The slaves did so much we don’t talk about, I’m sure James was like “it’s wrong …… but my boy Paul is my RIGHT HAND” I could see why he was conflicted. His house is extremely beautiful.

[ajames]

Thank you. I worked on the restoration of Montpelier for a couple years. It's interesting to see it all furnished.

[brandonwilliams]

It was my favorite of the Charlottesville homes ! I loved it !

[budjeansonne]

I was a tour guide there for nine years.

[joshcapa]

bro talking about should of freed them from a 21st century lens. Everyone had slaves it wasnt the same.