Jeffersonia Blog’s Best of 2008 Pt. II – The Top 20

Welcome back to our very understated, tasteful, and – dare I say – composed glance back at Thomas Jefferson in 2008 through the eyes of the Jeffersonia Blog.

Jeffersonia Blog’s Best of 2008 Pt. I: We read you; we really read you!

While we’re taking a look back at our first year, let’s look at some of the feedback and comments we received in 08:

• Scotchtown Ladies sing this song, doo-da doo-da: We heard from Catherine Dean, Curator of Collections for APVA Preservation Virginia, who helped correct a historical misconception about Scotchtown – the alledged childhood home of Mrs. James Madison. Click here to read her comments.
• He’ll do most anything, but he won’t do that!: Steve, a Jeffersonia Blog reader, helped correct a post we did on TJ-channeler extraordinaire, Mr. Clay Jenkinson. Click here and scroll down to the comments to read what Steve had to say.
• Umm, this is starting to get a little serious: Finally, the Jeffersonia Blog flirted with true blog-legitimacy when TJ biographical author Jack McLaughlin noticed our post about one of our fave TJ books and dropped a comment about his latest joint book. Click here to read the wow-inducing goodness.

Check in tomorrow when we look at our top posts of the year…

Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center Opens for Visitors Today

Beginning at 11am today, Monticello’s new TJ Visitor Center will become operational. The Visitor Pavillion, Museum Shop, and Cafe will all open their doors. Their will be cookies, and free T-shirts for the kids, as well as the musical stylings of Williamsburg Field Musick bringing you the hottest fife and drum hits of the 1700s and 1800s. (According to their blog, they appeared in HBO’s award-winning John Adams miniseries).

Source: Monticello

Mr. Jefferson’s Daughter’s Hospital’s Market

Martha Jefferson Hospital, named after Mr. Jefferson’s eldest, and longest surviving daughter, is holding its annual Martha’s Market event at the rather Jeffersonian-esque (architecturally speaking) John Paul Jones Arena on October 10-12.

For more info go here and here.

October Events at Monticello

October is one of my favorite times of the year.

Fall Time

Go here to the goings on at Tj’s former residence this month.

Source: Monticello.org

Photo courtesy cbgfx123 via Creative Commons Attributions Licence. Go here for cbgfx’s Flickr photostream.

John Adams Wins an Emmy

John Adams scores an emmy.

The HBO miniseries John Adams won an Emmy Award for best miniseries last night. Character actor Paul Giamatti also won for his role as Thomas Jefferson’s fellow Founding Father, friend and sometime foil.

Heritage Harvest Festival

If you are into gardening at all, don’t miss out on the 2nd annual Festival hosted by Monticello and the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.

The Festival is being held at Monticello’s Tufton Farm, just down the road from Monticello and will run all day Saturday the 6th, beginning with an early morning seed exchange.

Some of the workshops offered include Thomas Jefferson’s Revolutionary Garden, Fall and Winter Veggies, Growing and Marketing Ginseng, plus plenty of food tasting.

If I end up going, I will try to bring back some pics.