The Montpelier Foundation

"Montpelier Names Eola Lewis Dance as President & CEO" “We are thrilled beyond belief to welcome Eola Dance as our new President and CEO,” said Hasan Kwame Jeffries, chair of the board of directors of TMF. “Montpelier is a national treasure, and Eola has the experience, expertise, enthusiasm, and vision to lead Montpelier to new and exciting heights.” Show your support of Montpelier by becoming a Member or make a donation today, https://lnkd.in/eEAST48y

Marion duPont Scott, the last private owner of Montpelier, died at home #OTD in 1983, at the age of 89. A newspaper obituary described her as “a well-known horse breeder and philanthropist,” noting that she was the great-granddaughter of the founder of the DuPont chemical company, Eluthere Irenee du Pont. In her will, Mrs. Scott expressed a desire that her heirs would transfer Montpelier to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, so that it could be restored and furnished to the time period of James Madison. Marion duPont Scott in the original Red Room at Montpelier, possibly by Raymond Woolfe. Courtesy of the Montpelier Archives.

On Labor Day we pause to remember enslaved laborers at Montpelier.

Join us on Saturday, September 21 for specialty tours, activity booths, hikes, food trucks, and more! A detailed itinerary can be found at montpelier.org. $10 property entrance for ages 11 and up.

Happy Birthday to James Madison's grandmother, Frances Taylor Madison! Born on August 30, 1700, Frances supervised the operations of Mount Pleasant (future Montpelier plantation) for almost 30 years after the death of her husband in 1732. Artist’s conception of Mount Pleasant by Linda Boudreaux Montgomery, courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.

#OTD at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Charles Pinkney of South Carolina proposed that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the authority of the U. States." This meant that federal officeholders would not be required to pledge their belief in God, Christianity, or Protestant theology, as was required in some states. The motion was unanimously approved by all delegates – including James Madison, who had a lifelong commitment to religious liberty and freedom of conscience. Image by msandersmusic from Pixabay.

#OTD at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Pierce Butler of South Carolina proposed that the Constitution require the return of “any person bound to service or labor in any of the U— States” who escaped into another state. (The idea had been briefly discussed the previous day in the context of extraditing criminals.) Butler’s proposal was unanimously approved without further discussion. Although the word “slavery” never appears in the Constitution, this clause became known as the Fugitive Slave Clause. Just a few weeks earlier, James Madison had written his father, speculating on the whereabouts of Anthony, who had escaped from Montpelier in June 1786. Was Anthony on Madison’s mind as the delegates voted on the Fugitive Slave Clause?

#OTD in 1844, Dolley Madison’s son John Payne Todd sold 9 enslaved people to Henry Moncure, the new owner of Montpelier. Among them was a family that included 2-year-old Elizabeth, her baby brother Caleb, her mother Charlotte, and her uncle Edwin. Read what we know about Elizabeth at #MontpelierNamingProject. Did she have a chance at liberty?

It’s #InternationalDogDay! Montpelier “went to the dogs” under its 20th-century owner, Marion duPont Scott, who raised Dalmatians, setters, pointers, greyhounds, foxhounds, and Border Terriers. Her dogs competed in dog shows and field trials, hunted fox and quail, and took part in the Montpelier sporting life. Mrs. Scott’s favorite Border Terrier Wallace had the run of the property. One of his pranks was to nab the bathroom brush. “It was bigger than he was,” Scott recalled. “He would come out swinging it to and fro knocking into the sides of the doors coming out. And then everybody would roar with laughter and that’s what he liked.” Does your dog have a funny habit? Share it in the comments below! Early 20th-century images of dogs at Montpelier from the duPont Scrapbooks 5 and 6, courtesy of Montpelier, a National Trust site

#OTD in 1787, the Constitutional Convention debated how much longer to allow the importation of enslaved people. Madison objected to the proposed date of 1808, explaining, “Twenty years will produce all the mischief that can be apprehended from the liberty to import slaves. So long a term will be more dishonorable to the National character than to say nothing about it in the Constitution.” Despite his objection, the final version of Article 1, Section 9 stated that Congress could not prohibit prior to 1808 “the Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit.” Photo of “E Pluribus Unum,” mosaic by Rebecca Warde, Proun Design, courtesy of Montpelier.