1900 - Present The descendants struggled to maintain the graveyard. One of them, Miss Cornelia J. Taylor, was particularly involved in its care. She raised funds to place over the grave of Dabney Carr the stone that marks it today. At about the same time, the cherished "great oak" under which Carr and Jefferson were buried, finally died. No one knows how long it lived, but a June 30, 1912 New York Times article reported, “The tree stands now, a gaunt, gray trunk, leafless and dead. Brambles, briars, and all manner of rank weeds run riot, all but obscuring the gravestone from sight.”
Cornelia Taylor did what she could to preserve the graveyard. At points where children could squeeze through the fence, she planted Hardy Orange bushes, whose thorns proved to be quite effective deterrents. Within the graveyard today there are still some scattered Hardy Orange. From her correspondence we also learn that the points on the fence, at least those at either end of the graveyard, were originally gilded, but then painted black, probably for reasons of economy. This was also true of the medallions on the gates. Today the medallions, the end fence points and the “chains-of-life” on the corner posts are again painted gold. (Robert H. Kean, History of the Graveyard at Monticello.)
In spite of Miss Taylor’s and others’ best efforts, the task of maintaining the graveyard was overwhelming. In 1913 she played a leading role in the formation of the Monticello Graveyard Association, now the Monticello Association, whose main purpose is to care for the graves and grounds of the Monticello Graveyard. Sadly, one of the Association’s first tasks was to remove the remains of the great oak tree before it fell on the grave stones below. (Annual Report of the Monticello Association for 1922)
Thirteen descendants met in 1913 in Charlottesville to organize the Association and adopt a constitution and bylaws. One of their first resolutions was to invite the University of Virginia to be a member of the Association. The University readily accepted the invitation and provided an annual contribution toward the upkeep of the graveyard. In 1912 another attempt had been made to convince Congress to acquire Monticello as a national shrine. Monticello's owner, Jefferson Monroe Levy, was jubilant when the effort was defeated and said, “When the White House is for sale, then I will consider an offer for the sale of Monticello, and not before.” (New York Times 12/10/1912)
Eleven years later, in 1923, he changed his mind and conveyed Monticello to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation (established in that year) for $500,000. He also conveyed to Jefferson’s descendants additional land for the graveyard--“a lot to contain one half acre of land lying next to and contiguous to the present burial ground to the eastward thereof.” (A.C. Deed Book 185, p. 123.)
In 1927-28, the Association enlarged the graveyard enclosure by moving the iron fence, commissioned by the U. S. Government in 1883, into the newly acquired area and by constructing a new fence along the north and south sides to meet the displaced fence. This left unchanged the front of the enclosure around the Jefferson monument but increased the depth of the enclosure from 88 feet to 152 feet. (Robert H. Kean, History of the Graveyard at Monticello.)
In the 1950s the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation hired Milton Grigg, a local architect, to design the brick steps and wall near the road. Installation was sponsored by the Garden Club of Virginia. It is thought that the brick walk from the house to the graveyard was also installed at that time. Steps going to the Visitors Center were installed in 1995.
In 1979, the Association and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation agreed to exchange a portion of the graveyard (Parcel A ) for another adjacent parcel, (Parcel B) owned by the Foundation. The current Monticello Graveyard contains 0.692 acres and is the aggregate of Parcels B, C, D and E. It has two owners – Parcel E, the original part, is held in trust by the Monticello Association for the descendants of Thomas Jefferson Randolph while Parcels B, C, and D are owned outright by the Association.
In 2020 and 2021, the Association refurbished the 1883 fence and erected a new fence around all of the previously unenclosed Association property. The family celebrated the new enclosure of Parcel B during dedication ceremonies in May 2022. Details of the ceremony can be found on the Annual Meeting page, and ceremony photographs may be viewed on the Gallery page.
See graveyard survey
Cornelia Taylor did what she could to preserve the graveyard. At points where children could squeeze through the fence, she planted Hardy Orange bushes, whose thorns proved to be quite effective deterrents. Within the graveyard today there are still some scattered Hardy Orange. From her correspondence we also learn that the points on the fence, at least those at either end of the graveyard, were originally gilded, but then painted black, probably for reasons of economy. This was also true of the medallions on the gates. Today the medallions, the end fence points and the “chains-of-life” on the corner posts are again painted gold. (Robert H. Kean, History of the Graveyard at Monticello.)
In spite of Miss Taylor’s and others’ best efforts, the task of maintaining the graveyard was overwhelming. In 1913 she played a leading role in the formation of the Monticello Graveyard Association, now the Monticello Association, whose main purpose is to care for the graves and grounds of the Monticello Graveyard. Sadly, one of the Association’s first tasks was to remove the remains of the great oak tree before it fell on the grave stones below. (Annual Report of the Monticello Association for 1922)
Thirteen descendants met in 1913 in Charlottesville to organize the Association and adopt a constitution and bylaws. One of their first resolutions was to invite the University of Virginia to be a member of the Association. The University readily accepted the invitation and provided an annual contribution toward the upkeep of the graveyard. In 1912 another attempt had been made to convince Congress to acquire Monticello as a national shrine. Monticello's owner, Jefferson Monroe Levy, was jubilant when the effort was defeated and said, “When the White House is for sale, then I will consider an offer for the sale of Monticello, and not before.” (New York Times 12/10/1912)
Eleven years later, in 1923, he changed his mind and conveyed Monticello to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation (established in that year) for $500,000. He also conveyed to Jefferson’s descendants additional land for the graveyard--“a lot to contain one half acre of land lying next to and contiguous to the present burial ground to the eastward thereof.” (A.C. Deed Book 185, p. 123.)
In 1927-28, the Association enlarged the graveyard enclosure by moving the iron fence, commissioned by the U. S. Government in 1883, into the newly acquired area and by constructing a new fence along the north and south sides to meet the displaced fence. This left unchanged the front of the enclosure around the Jefferson monument but increased the depth of the enclosure from 88 feet to 152 feet. (Robert H. Kean, History of the Graveyard at Monticello.)
In the 1950s the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation hired Milton Grigg, a local architect, to design the brick steps and wall near the road. Installation was sponsored by the Garden Club of Virginia. It is thought that the brick walk from the house to the graveyard was also installed at that time. Steps going to the Visitors Center were installed in 1995.
In 1979, the Association and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation agreed to exchange a portion of the graveyard (Parcel A ) for another adjacent parcel, (Parcel B) owned by the Foundation. The current Monticello Graveyard contains 0.692 acres and is the aggregate of Parcels B, C, D and E. It has two owners – Parcel E, the original part, is held in trust by the Monticello Association for the descendants of Thomas Jefferson Randolph while Parcels B, C, and D are owned outright by the Association.
In 2020 and 2021, the Association refurbished the 1883 fence and erected a new fence around all of the previously unenclosed Association property. The family celebrated the new enclosure of Parcel B during dedication ceremonies in May 2022. Details of the ceremony can be found on the Annual Meeting page, and ceremony photographs may be viewed on the Gallery page.
See graveyard survey