Jefferson's Portable Ivory Notebooks

I like gadgets.  I'm typing this on my iPad, have my cell phone in my pocket and am never far from my digital camera.  I imagine that if Jefferson lived in modern times he would probably be a gadget guy as well with so much information at his fingertips.

The new thing that I learned this past week about Jefferson which I found most fascinating was the portable notebooks he used to write down short notes.  Jefferson keep detailed notebooks on items such as his buildings, the weather, his plants, etc. but he did not carry around all of these books with him during the day.  Instead, he carried a small notebook made of small pieces of ivory.

Jefferson's ivory notebooks - Monticello Visitor Center - July 2012

These portable notebooks were tiny but folded out like a deck of cards. Jefferson wrote notes on the ivory with a pencil and then transferred the notes to his more permanent record books at home.  He would wipe the pencil marks off the ivory and start with a clear notebook the next day.

The visitors center at Monticello has two of these ivory notebooks from Jefferson on display and I have included a picture with this post.

I find these very interesting and inquired about any replica notebooks that could be purchased.  No one knew of any replicas but Jacqueline Langholtz, a member of the Monticello education staff, told me they once created replicas for the learning center and suggested that use old piano keys to make a replica.  I think I will try to make a replica of the notebooks this summer to use in my class.  If anyone has about 5 or 6 old piano keys let me know and will incorporate them in my project.


Link : Official Monticello Website reference to the ivory notebooks


Link : Library of Congress - Picture of ivory notebooks

Link : Reference to Ben Franklin possibly using similar notebooks

Jefferson's Garden

Jefferson's garden at Monticello - July 2012

Note : You can see all of the pictures I took during my visit to Monticello here at the set I have posted on Flickr.


During my week at Monticello one of the things I enjoyed most was seeing  Jefferson's garden and learning a little more about his approach to gardening.

The mere sight of Jefferson's 1000 foot long garden at Monticello is impressive.  The garden has been painstakingly reconstructed on the same site and is currently growing the same vegetables.  I enjoyed walking through and seeing many of the same items we know grow in our own small family garden.

Jefferson is sometimes given erroneous credit for single handedly introducing certain vegetables to the United States, like the tomato. He did, however, help to advocate for increased popularity of some vegetables which were not common in the United States at the time.  His garden at time would have definitely been a "revolutionary garden".

Sea Kale in Jefferson's garden at Monticello - July 2012

As you walk the garden it is impossible to not be touched by the beauty of the surroundings.  The garden is built on the side of the mountain upon which Jefferson built Monticello with an amazing view looking out over the valley and the towering big mountain of Montalto keeping watch.

In addition to the garden, Jefferson also surrounded himself with beautiful flower beds and trees.  The flower beds surrounding the house have a wide variety of species.  He also had systems created to collect rainwater runoff to help water his plants.

Jefferson's flower beds at Monticello - July 2012

Jefferson's flower beds at Monticello - July 2012

If you visit Monticello I would recommend the garden tour.  It was a very informative 45 minute tour and I learned a lot about Jefferson's involvement with plants on the grounds.  I wanted to read up on the garden when I returned home so I purchased the book "A Rich Spot of Earth" by Peter Hatch.  Hatch has been the gardener at Monticello since 1977.  I highly recommend this book if you want to learn more about this topic.  It is both a coffee table book with incredible photography and informative read with historical perspective and background on the types of vegetables grown.  This book is a must if you have an interest in Jefferson's garden.

As I walked around Monticello last week I found myself thinking about how Jefferson would like use to remember him today if we could only focus on one of his talents.  Would he like us to think of him as the one who crafted our most important document?  Would he want us to think of him as an architect first as we wait for hours to take a tour of his 200+ year old house?  Is he most proud of his contributions as a gardener?  What of his ability to adapt and implement the inventions around him in an attempt to create a more comfortable and efficient life?  I personally think his answer might vary from day to day but last week as I walked around his grounds I thought first of his ability to create a tranquil and beautiful place on this "rich spot of earth".

Flowers at Monticello - July 2012

Podcast #215 - "Watching" the State of the Union Through the Eyes of Twitter

Today's podcast is sort of a rambling (consider yourself warned) about how I watched my Twitter feed about the State of the Union Address last night before I listened to it on my own.  Viewing events like debates, speeches and sporting events is definitely different when you are commenting and watching it live on Twitter.  What does this say about us socially?  Do you watch live events with your phone or i-Pad in one hand commenting to Twitter?  Please listen to the podcast and then leave a quick comment.


Direct link : Speaking of History Podcast #215 "Watching the State of the Union Address Through the Eyes of Twitter" - MP3 file (9 minutes)

Podcast #214 - Antique Radio Time Machine

Hello.  Today's podcast is part do-it-yourself, part technology.  I discuss how in a couple of minutes we took our family antique cabinet radio from the 1930's and soon had it playing Glenn Miller big ban music and reports from D-Day.  


Direct link : Speaking of History Podcast #214 - Antique Radio Time Machine - MP3

Links from podcast:


Old World Radio - great site to download original music, comedy shows and dramas


Montgomery Ward Airline 62-215 Radio - 1935