Thomas Jefferson Papers

Thomas Jefferson to Joseph C. Cabell, 4 July 1823

To Joseph C. Cabell

Monticello July 4. 23.

Dear Sir

About a month before the reciept of your favor of June 24. I had been requested to draw the plan of a jail for the county of Cumberland adapted to the requisitions of the late law. I send you a copy of it, with estimates of the cost. some articles of it are left blank, because I had no ready1 means of coming at their value; but this may be as well2 obtained with you as here. there is only one article of the estimate which may not be exact, to wit, the laying down the sheet iron floor. we had no experience of the expence of rivets, of which each floor will require 8. or 900, at 2.I. apart. as iron is rolled into sheets of various lengths, you should get them of 7.f as these will work up without waste and with fewest rivets.3

The Literary board agreed to hold back 20.M.D. till Xmas. the Rotunda is rising nobly. the marble capitels for the Pavilions are now on their passage from New York to Richmond. they cost at the quarry 100 D. round. the expences by the time they get here will be 50. p. c. on that. the duty was 315.60 D4 ever & affectly yours

Th: Jefferson

RC (ViU: TJP); addressed: “Joseph C. Cabell esq. Edgewood near Warminster”; franked; postmarked; endorsed by Cabell. Dft (DLC); on verso of reused address cover to TJ; endorsed by TJ.

1Word interlined in Dft.

2Word interlined in Dft in place of “readily.”

3Sentence interlined in Dft.

4Text from “they cost” to this point added in Dft at foot of text and keyed here with a caret.

Index Entries

  • An act concerning jailors, and for other purposes (1823) search
  • architecture; and TJ’s plans for county jails search
  • building materials; iron search
  • building materials; marble, Carrara search
  • Cabell, Joseph Carrington; and jail for Nelson Co. search
  • Cabell, Joseph Carrington; as member of University of Virginia Board of Visitors search
  • Cabell, Joseph Carrington; letters to search
  • Cumberland County, Va.; jail search
  • iron; sheet search
  • Literary Fund; and loans for University of Virginia search
  • marble; for University of Virginia search
  • Nelson County, Va.; jail search
  • Virginia, University of; Administration and Financial Affairs; funding for search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; capitals for search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; pavilions search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Rotunda (library) search
  • Virginia; jails in search