What special day do we celebrate every year in February? Hint – it’s not Valentines Day! This special day, or actually two days, hold a place of much greater value in our lives. These days have great historical significance.
Every year in February we celebrate Presidents Day and in addition, the birthday of George Washington, the first president of the United States.
Since moving to the east coast I have grown to have a deep love of American history. There is so much here to see and learn of the struggles our forefathers went through to bring this great nation into existence.
Some of the most revealing and interesting of these places are the homes of our founding fathers. My husband and I have had the pleasure of visiting the homes of the first five presidents of the United States. When you step through their doors you are allowed a small glimpse of the world they lived in. The things that were important to them; the rooms they slept in, ate in and debated the future of this nation in.
If you live in the east and haven’t visited these historical homes, I encourage you to visit them and experience a new appreciation for the men, and the women, that gave so much so we could become the land of the free and home of the brave.
If you don’t live in the east, what a great trip it would be to strategically plan to visit each of these homes on your next summer vacation!
Four of our first five president’s homes are located in Virginia, the fifth home is located in Massachusetts.
Mount Vernon – Our first president, George Washington’s home is in Virginia on the Potomac River near where it flows into the Chesapeake Bay.
I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the characer of an honest man. ∼ George Washington
The next 3 homes are located within 20 miles of one another in Albemarle County, Virgina:
Monticello – Thomas Jefferson, our third president and author of the Declaration of Independence. I have to say, this is my favorite of these homes! It sits on a lovely mountain top outside of Charlottesville, Virginia.
We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. ∼ Thomas Jefferson
In speaking before a gathering of Nobel Prize winners at a White House dinner, President Kennedy made the following statement.
I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone. ∼ President John F. Kennedy
Montpelier – The home of James Madison, our fourth president, Father of the Constitution and Architect of the Bill of Rights. The restoration of this home to the 1812 Madison-era was just completed in 2009.
The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse. ∼ James Madison
Ash Lawn Highland – The second home and beloved farm of James Monroe, our fifth president. This was his primary residence from 1799-1823. It is located only 1.5 miles from Monticello. He also had a home called Oak Hill near Leesburg, VA. That home remains privately owned today.
Our country may be likened to a new house. We lack many things, but we possess the most precious of all – liberty! ∼ James Monroe
Peacefield – John Adams, our second presidents home is located in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it. ∼ John Adams
On July 4, 1826, on the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, John Adams died at Quincy, after speaking the famous last words “Thomas Jefferson still survives.” Unbeknownst to Adams, Thomas Jefferson had died a few hours earlier at Monticello.
If you decide to visit these homes, or to revisit them if that be the case, I can assure you that you will walk away with a greater knowledge and respect for the sacrifices made for this nation to be brought into existence.
So why not skip the amusement park or the beach this year for something historically better!
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