4) James Madison*

James Madison

4th President

Democratic-Republican

1751-1836

Helped write the Constitution

He was known as "the Father of the Constitution"

Led the U.S. against the British during the War Of 1812

Birthplace: Port Conway, VA

James Madison, Jr. was born here on March 16th, 1751. The birthplace was demolished and only a historical marker is loacted there.

The Story

Tuesday April 2 was a day we took to knock out some of the locations that were only photo opportunities on the trip. One of those was James Madison’s birthplace marker. Around 12:30 in the afternoon we finally located the marker and took photos, then were on our way to the James Monroe museum.

Birthplace marker

Dad by the Madison marker

Me by the Madison marker

Home: Montpelier Station, VA

James Madison lived here, on this Estate, this is also his burial site. It is named "Montpelier".

The Story

Towards the end of the day on April 4th, being our final day in Virginia, despite being exhausted, we hustled over to Orange, Virginia to see our last grave, and tour James Madison's Montpelier. Arriving on time to catch the last house tour of the day, we wandered the grounds first, and then headed inside for the 3:00 tour.

Me and Montpelier

The gardens at Montpelier were starting to bloom!

Replica of James Madison's bed

Slave Cabin Interior

Gallery

Home: The Octagon, Washington, D.C.

James and Dolley Madison lived here after the burning of the city of Washington in 1814. It was here that Madison signed the Treaty of Ghent.

Gravesite: Montpelier Station, VA

James Madison died on June 28th, 1836, while eating his breakfast. Most friends, and Dolley Madison, wished for him to live until July 4th, to be known (along with Adams, Jefferson, and Monroe), as another President who died on the historic date, but he did not make it. A small family funeral, followed by burial on the estate, was witnessed by his family and friends the next day.

Dad and the grave

Me with James Madison's grave

Dolley Madison's grave

Me with Dolley Madison's grave

Museum: Orange, VA

This museum houses many exhibits and artifacts of the Madisons (particularly James and Dolley).

The Story

Within 15 minutes of leaving Montpelier, my dad and I went to the last stop of the entire trip: the James Madison Museum in Orange. I was determined to see the museum before leaving, and I was so glad we did! There were so many interesting pieces in the collection relating to both James and Dolley Madison. The small size of the building fooled me, and there was a lot to see including a collection of cars. While not everything in the museum is Madison-related, for the small admission fee, it was well worth it!