Mr. Madison’s War- The Cheapest American War in History

Even though it was pretty much a draw, and not the startling victory that was the American Revolution, the War of 1812 does have the distinction of being the cheapest in American History! According to the Bound Dragon blog, the roughly two and a half year skirmish with our former British overloards cost only half  the price tag of the Mexican War, one quarter of the Revolutionary War, and nearly a hundred times less than the Gulf War. Sure, the see-saw, back and forth action allowed neither side to gather enough momentum to pull out the victory, but then President James Madison sure knew how to get the most war for the dollar!

Go here to see the list. 
Follow the links below for more on Mr. Madison’s War:

Gatewayno

Wikipedia

History Central

Image courtesy of cliff1066

TJTube: John Adams Edition

In honor of his recent Emmy wins, I give you TJTube: The John Adams Edition…

TJ and Adams at a drive-through…

113th Anniversary of the Rotunda Fire

The UVAtoday blog noted this past Monday marked the 113th anniversary of fire of the famed Rotunda at UVA. The building was rebuilt by 1898 and the improved version lasted all the way to 1973.

An amusing detail about the fire itself was that a UVA engineering professor saw the Rotunda burning and decided the solution to the problem was…dynamite! The result? Yes, it made the problem much worse, but hey – high marks for ingenuity and chutzpah!

For a great online resource on the history of the Rotunda, visit the Rotunda History page. Click here.

Source: UVAToday
Photo courtesy of Eddi 07

Madison Cracks Top 30

We’ve been playing Founding Fathers Football (ok, I just made that up) all season long by following HighschoolRivals Top 100 teams. As the regular season comes to a close for most teams, Madison claws its way further into the Top 30, with an undefeated 6-0 record. West Monroe climbs to number 30, also undefeated at 7-0. Hamilton, who had the weekend off, climb two spots to 33.

Despite crushing West Mifflin 42-7, TJ of Jefferson Hills, PA drops 3 spots to 54th this week. Independence of Charlotte, NC jumps forward to number 81 and Columbus of Miami is riding TJ’s wake at number 54.

For the Civil War version of Founding Fathers Football, Union is at 34 and Grant of Sacramento splits the south at 74.

Finally, the two Trinitys (at numbers 1 and 75) look like they will stand alone without a third for the season.

Source: HighschoolRivals
Photo courtesy of Saquan Stimpson

“Little Monticello” Restoration Revisited

We chronicled the recently completed renovations over at the Madison’s Montpelier home. Here’s another perspective on it over at the American Presidents Blog. Click here to read about it.

And while your there, be sure to vote for the most consequential presidential election. The 1800 election, won by President Jefferson is currently in 3rd place in the poll.

Source: American Presidents Blog

TJ Apple of the Month: Esopus Spitzenburg

Not Spitzenburgs

Sounding like a prehistoric, miniature horse (that would be Eohippus to the dinosaur-savvy), Esopus Spitzenburg was considered one of TJ’s four favorites. Like the mighty A.P., Esopus Spitzenburg was a dessert fruit. Despite cultivating less than two dozen trees, Monticello’s most famous Pomologist, apparently journalled (read: blogging in pre-Internet times) more about Esopus Spitzenburg than any other kind.

Source: The Twinleaf Journal

Photo courtesy of foodista

Madison, Hamilton ahead of Jefferson

We’ve been keeping up with HighschoolRivals.com Top 100 football teams in the U.S. this season – not for historical or educational purposes, but simply because several of the teams are named after (or have the same last names as) a couple of the Founding Fathers, including TJ himself (which falls under the category of ‘TJ-related’ as well as fun!).

This week Madison County of Flo-rida holds strong in 34th place. Hamilton of AZ is number 40, while Thomas Jefferson (in PA) hovers just outside the Top 50 in 52nd place. Undefeated Independence is 83rd, while the two Trinitys (in 1st and 78th place, respectively) still seek that elusive third.

A special shoutout to Columbus (of Miami, FL) in honor of Monday’s greatest single day surge in the history of the U.S. stock market (on Columbus Day, no less).

Source: Highschoolrivals.com

Photo courtesy of Jayel Aheram

The Levys at Monticello

The Levy Family history as stewards of Monticello is now fairly well known. Here are some links testifying to their legacy:

• An article from Preservation Magazine reprinted at the Monticello website. Go here.
• Brief bios from some of the family members. Go here.

 

• Another article via the Monticello website detailing the 1985 ceremony formally honoring the Levy Family at Monticello. Click here.
• Some photos of Rachel Levy’s gravesite. Go here.

TJ & Architecture Pt. I

TJ was a prolific architect, though it was merely one of his many hobbies he passionately explored during his lifetime. Here are a couple of great resources I found which testify to his natural skill as an artist.

Historic American Buildings Survey of Monticello.  32 architectural drawings of TJ’s “little mountain”. Click here.

The Massachusetts Historical Society’s electronic archive of Thomas Jefferson architectural drawings. Click here.  Lots of drawings all by TJ’s hand. Many of the usual subjects (Monticello, Shadwell, Tufton, Edghill, Poplar Forest) and many that are not. Definately worth checking out.

The Monticello virtual tour over at Monticello.org. Click here.

A nice bibliography of TJ and the arts, including one of my favorite, Jefferson and Monticello:Biography of a Builder by Jack McLaughlin. Go here.

Photo courtesy of seier+seier+seier

This Week at Monticello

Don’t miss the Apple Tasting event on Saturday the 18th beginning at 9:30 am at Tufton Farm. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online here. Last year’s winner? The mighty Albemarle Pippin of course!

If you like archeology (and who doesn’t!) head over to the Archeology Open House which will open their lab to the public between 10am and 4 pm. On display will be lots of cool stuff. Its free and be sure to wear comfortable shoes for one the 90 minute tours of the nearby archeological sites. Click here for more info.