Restoring America's Heritage

  United States

Rural Areas,  Virginia

Dates: see website for details

Description: Research Mission
Discovering the historic garden landscape of U.S. President James Madison's estate to learn about the founding father's approach to nature.

Situation Report
James Madison's Montpelier, Montpelier Station, Virginia -- Here in the heart of Virginia's historic piedmont region, founding father James Madison is reported to have "thought about government more deeply and with greater effect than anyone in history." When the architect of the U.S. Constitution was not thinking about governmental matters, he was often thinking about landscaping. His changes to this estate reflect a revolution in landscaping, from 18th century Georgian practices showing mastery over nature to a more naturalistic, harmonious approach. You can join Dr. Matthew Reeves and the staff of the Montpelier Foundation as they unearth details of the estate's landscape, spectactularly preserved below later landscape changes, part of an overall effort to restore the mansion to its historic form. Your efforts will give new perspective to Madison's legacy and early American perspectives on the environment.

Meals and Accommodations
You will stay at an antebellum home located on Montpelier's estate grounds, featuring all the amenities, large spacious halls, attractive rural outbuildings, and other southern comforts. Your team will work together to shop for groceries at the local supermarket and prepare meals limited only by your imagination. Montpelier staff will join you for meals, and some meals may be hosted by members of the local community.

Highlights: Working on the well-maintained grounds of this historic estate with a dramatic view of the Blue Ridge Mountains, you will help determine the extent of landscaping more than 200 years ago. You will excavate five-foot-square units to reveal the full extent of roads, paths, fences, and other landscape elements, carefully screening soils for artifacts and gravel. Back in the lab you will wash and sort artifacts, float soil samples for botanical remains, and enter data into a computer database. When you're not digging into history yourself, Montpelier staff will provide detailed tours on the estate, including the mansion, the family cemetery, the slave cemetery, an oldgrowth forest and formal garden. Your team will gain an insider's view of historic landscaping and a new appreciation for the early years of the United States.

Cost in US$: 1,946

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to United States Independently Or in Groups

Typically Participants Work in Groups of 4-8

Application Process Involves:

• Phone Interview
• Physical Exam/Health Records

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network

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Year Founded: 1971