James Monroe

James Monroe 5th President of the United States (1817-1825)

Monroe sites that I have visited:

Monroe birthplace Colonial Beach, VA

Monroe college: College of William and Mary Williamsburg, VA

Monroe home 'Ash Lawn - Highland' Charlottesville, VA
                                             

Monroe gravesite Hollywood Cemetery Richmond, VA

   A lot of the Virginia presidents birthplaces are little more then a road sIde marker. James Monroe has a little more than that even

    A small monument marking Monroe's birthplace

    A small Monroe birthplace museum, which was closed.

    A view inside the closed museum

     Another look inside the closed museum. I'm guessing the wooden house is what the birthplace Home would of looked like.

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Sir Christopher Wren building on campus of College of William and Mary was built between 1695 -1699. It is the oldest college building in the United States. Monroe likely had classes here.

Monroe statue of campus of William and Mary

   James Monroe's law office Fredericksburg, Virginia. It's now a Monroe museum

      Bust of Monroe at his law office museum. They were closed at 7 AM on a Sunday. Imagine that

Front of Ash Lawn

Monroe's Ash Lawn - Highland Home

James Monroe moved to (then called) Highland beause of the urging of Thomas Jefferson, who's Monticello home is just a few miles away. The front of the home that is painted yellow is not original to Monroe's time here. The original front from Monroe's day was lost to a fire. The yellow part is , however a reconstrution of what it would of looked like when Monroe was here. The white part of the house in the back is original to Monroe's time. We almost did'nt stop here but we were making such good time after leaving Monticello that we did. And I am very glad that we did. It is a nice little stop for any Presidential history lover.

Back door original to Monroe's time here

Statue of Monroe at his Ash Lawn - Highland plantation

view from Ash Lawn - Highland

Me at James Monroe's gravesite. Hollywood Cemetery Richmond, VA in 2010

Monroe tomb 2020. The tomb and surrounding area underwent a large renovation and paint job between my 2010 and 2020 stops to the site.

An Instagram picture I made of the tomb

Marker for First Lady Elizabeth Monroe.

The kids and I at Monroe's Tomb June 2020

Notice the close proximity of Monroe's grave on the right to President John Tyler's grave on the left. 2010

Tyler and Monroe 2020

James Monroe was the last Founding Father President. He is also the last of the Virginia Dynasty Presidents which included Washington, Jefferson and Madison before him. Back then being Secretary of State seemed to be the stepping stone to the Presidency. Jefferson was Washington's Sec. of State, Madison was Jefferson's, and Monroe was Madison's. With this in mind Monroe appointed John Quincy Adams his Sec. of State, with the understanding that Adams would be his predecessor. Monroe would even make the trip to Massachusetts to tell a very old John Adams about his sons appointment.

The Monroe Administration is considered the 'Era of Good Feeling'. He even ran for re- election unopposed. His landmark acheivment was the Monroe Doctrine, which stated that the United States would not tolerate furthur expansion in the America's by any European power.

Monroe died at his daughters home in New York in 1831.