1. Henry D. Gilpin visited Montpelier in the fall of 1827 and gave this account of his stay in a letter to his father, Joshua Gilpin: “Mr. Madison’s house is a very large one, with a noble portico in front and extensive wings on each side. When I arrived he & Mrs. Madison were out having gone over to a relation’s in the neighborhood. I amused myself in examining the grounds around, & the room in which I was which is a fine large hall extending through the house, except the width of a narrow entry between it & the front portico—at the back it opens on a low doric portico beyond which is a green lawn extending to the woods. The view in front extends to the Blue mountain about thirty or forty miles off & is a fine one, though not so much so as many I have seen of that picturesque ridge. Much of the furniture of the room had the appearance of Presidential splendour, such as sofas covered with crimson damask on each side, three or four large looking glasses &c—& every thing displayed in its arrangement great order neatness & taste—for which I fancy Mrs. Madison is remarkable. There are some large & good historical pictures by Flemish artists; & several portraits around the walls—among the latter two excellent ones of Genl. Washington & Mr. Jefferson—a great number of busts—a bronze figure of Napoleon, and some good casts of antique statues.

“In a little while, a fine portly looking lady, with a straw bonnet, and shawl on came in, which I at once took for her ladyship & mentioned my name; she asked if I was any relation to you, & on saying I was your son, she expressed great pleasure at seeing me, asked a great deal after you & my mother, said it w[oul]d give Mr. Madison great gratification to see me, and indeed treated me with the greatest kindness. Soon after Mr. Madison came in & I gave him your & my other letter, while I went on talking with Mrs. M. & Mrs. Cutts her sister, who also asked much after you, Philadelphia, & her old acquaintances. Mr. Madison is quite a short thin man, with his head bald except on the back, where his hair hangs down to his collar & over his ears, nicely powdered—he has gray but bright eyes, & small features—he looks scarcely as old as he is, 74 [76], and seems very hale & hearty—the expression of his face is full of good humour—he was dressed in black, with breeches & old fashioned top boots, which he afterwards took off & sat during the evening in his white stockings, but the next day he had black silk on & looked very nice. Mrs. Madison slipped off to change her walking dress, & made herself quite stylish in a turban & fine gown—she has a great deal of dignity blended with good humour & knowledge of the world. A number of her relations were staying with them, a party I suppose of a dozen & two or three pretty girls among them. The latter I fear will think me a poor beau, for I scarcely spoke twenty words to them—the truth is pretty girls I can find plenty of, but I c[oul]d see but one Mr. Madison, & him probably never again. The consequence was, that, with the exception of a little conversation now & then with Mrs. Madison—I talked with or rather listened to him almost exclusively while I remained. We sat up pretty late; his conversation is full of pleasant anecdote about people or things & he is very fond of a good joke or story of which he has many. On general politics & literature we talked a great deal—though I entirely avoided, as I thought it proper to do, all allusions to present party politics. But on the subject of Colonial Trade, & the general system of Great Britain to this country, he talked much & with a good deal of enthusiasm—his favourite topic appeared however to be the early constitutional history of this country, the state of the confederacy originally, the points involved in the constitution, the errors relative to many facts which he pointed out, &c. We discussed too ancient & modern literature—Herodotus, Gibbon, Sir Walter Scott & the Reviews. He asked me about the Canal, & spoke of the zeal & interest you had always taken, & desired me particularly to congratulate you for him on its near accomplishment. The next morning I was down sometime before the ladies but found him reading in the parlour; he urged me to stay two or three days, but I could not do so without a good deal of inconvenience & expense in keeping the carriage I had hired. I stayed some time after breakfast & left them so as to get here late in the evening. When I came off—they desired their particular remembrance to you & my mother, & hope that you may be induced to pay them a visit, which they say you may do by a journey of a few days. Mrs. M. desired her ‘affectionate’ remembrance to you which I suppose refers to old times, for she talked a great deal about them, & her intimacy with my aunt.

“I left them with the impressions of one of the most pleasant visits I had ever paid; & with an esteem & profound veneration for Mr. Madison, which will never be weakened” (Ralph D. Gray, ed., “A Tour of Virginia in 1827: Letters of Henry D. Gilpin to His Father,” VMHB description begins Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. description ends 76 [1968]: 469–71).