Montpelier Station in Orange County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Mount Pleasant c. 1750s
First Madison Family Home Site
The Stone-Lined Cellar of Mount Pleasant
The first Madison home, one o the first in this part of Virginia, was a relatively small structure measuring 26 by 24 feet. Enslaved workers dug the cellar below the house, pictured here during archaeological excavation, to serve as a storage area. By 1765, the family moved to the new Montpelier house and then demolished the old home
Reconstructed Wine Bottles Recovered from the Kitchen Cellar
Fragments of wine bottles were found in the kitchen cellar. The hand-blown, glass "seals" on the bottles contain the initials of James Madison, Sr. and indicate the refined status of the Madison family. These broken bottles were left in the cellar when the family moved to the new Montpelier home.
James and Nelly Madison, Parents of President Madison
James Madison, Sr. was nine when his family moved here. In 1749 he married Nelly Conway and brought his wife home to Mount Pleasant. They had children and the plantation prospered. By the early 1760s they had moved into a new, brick home that became known as Montpelier. By 1800 all the original buildings were gone, leaving only the Madison Family Cemetery to mark the original homestead.
The Stone-Lined Kitchen Cellar
The kitchen was in a separate outbuilding, and the enslaved cook would have filled its cellar with vegetables and other food for the Madison family. The cook would have lived in an raised her family in the loft above her work area. After the Madison family moved, the kitchen was used as a home for a slave family who worked the farm fields.
Ceramics Recovered from Burnt Remains of Kitchen/Slave House
The kitchen burned around 1800, and the household possessions of the slave family living here were consumed in the blaze. The cups and plates were scorched, and fell into the cellar with the remains of the home. These ceramics were 40 to 50 years old at the time of the fire, and were likely castoffs from the household china of the President's grandmother, Francis Madison. (Marker Number 23.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Colonial Era • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #04 James Madison series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1723.
Location. 38° 13.068′ N, 78° 10.447′ W. Marker is in Montpelier Station, Virginia, in Orange County. Marker is on West Gate Road, on the right when traveling west. Located near the Madison Family Cemetery on the Montpelier Estate. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Montpelier Station VA 22957, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Madison Family Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); The African American Cemetery (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Slave Cemetery (about 700 feet away); Madison Farm Complex (approx. ¼ mile away); The Quarters (approx. ¼ mile away); Homes for Enslaved Families (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Backyard (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Road (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Montpelier Station.
More about this marker. Around the marker are photos which complement the text including portraits of James and Nelly Madison, President Madison's parents. At the bottom is a time line indicating the the time of the Initial settlement at Mount Pleasant by an overseer and gang of slaves in 1723-1732, Occupation by the Madison Family in 1732-1762, and Abandonment and burning of Mount Pleasant in 1762-1800.
Also see . . . Archaeology at Mount Pleasant. Page from the Montpelier web site. (Submitted on November 5, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
Credits. This page was last revised on November 26, 2016. It was originally submitted on November 5, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,105 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 26, 2016, by Michael C. Wilcox of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on November 5, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.