Alexander Garrett and Valentine W. Southall to Thomas Jefferson, 30 September 1817
From Alexander Garrett and Valentine W. Southall
Charlottesville, Sep: 30. ‘17.
Sir,
Your favor of the 23 has been received. The abscence of each of us from town with other circumstances is the apology for this delay in our Reply: but it affords us now infinite satisfaction to be enabled to acquaint you, in behalf of our brethren, that, on second thought, it has been concluded to dispense with a small part of the ceremony and to undertake the laying of the corner-stone of the central College; in which undertaking we have been instructed by our Lodges to invite the Visitors to join us.
The pleasing duty is also assigned us to ask, through you, the several visitors of the institution to partake of a dinner at the Stone-house in Charlottesville, on the day of the above ceremony, at the hour of 4 O’Clock P.M.
| Alex: Garrett |  |
on the part of the Coms |
| V W southall |
RC (CSmH: JF); in Southall’s hand, signed by Garrett and Southall; endorsed by TJ as a letter from Garrett and Southall received 4 Oct. 1817 and so recorded in SJL.
The stone-house tavern was located on Market Street in Charlottesville. The house was originally built by George Nicholas. James Monroe owned the property briefly and lived there about 1789 (K. Edward Lay, The Architecture of Jefferson Country: Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia [2000], 130, 168; , 279–80).
Index Entries
- Central College; and Freemasons search
- Central College; cornerstone laying search
- Central College Board of Visitors; and cornerstone laying search
- Charlottesville, Va.; Freemasons of search
- Charlottesville, Va.; taverns in search
- Charlottesville Lodge No. 90 (Masonic); and Central College cornerstone laying search
- Freemasonry; and Central College search
- Garrett, Alexander; and Central College cornerstone laying search
- Garrett, Alexander; letters from search
- Monroe, James; Charlottesville property of search
- Nicholas, George; Charlottesville property of search
- Southall, Valentine Wood; and Central College cornerstone laying search
- Southall, Valentine Wood; letters from search
- Stone House Tavern (Charlottesville) search
- Virginia; taverns in search
- Widow’s Sons’ Lodge No. 60 (Masonic); and Central College cornerstone laying search