
Transcriber’s Note
Monticello
The Haunted House,New Orleans
The Haunted House, New Orleans
Doughoregan Manor
Doughoregan Manor
The Jumel Mansion
The Jumel Mansion
Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon
Step inside the world of America’s earliest grand homes, where stone, timber, and ambition intertwine. The opening chapter follows a young Thomas Jefferson as he turns a childhood fantasy of a “little mountain” into the real‑life masterpiece of Monticello, tracing his early visits, sketches, and the slow rise of the estate alongside his burgeoning public career. Through vivid description the narrative captures how the rolling Virginia hills, the rhythm of workmen’s tools, and Jefferson’s own dreams shaped a house that would become a symbol of the new nation.
Beyond Monticello, the book surveys other iconic colonial residences, revealing the personal stories, architectural innovations, and cultural currents that made each structure unique. Listeners will discover how these homes served as backdrops for pivotal moments—from legislative debates to daring escapes—while also reflecting the lives and ideals of the people who built and inhabited them. A richly illustrated journey, it invites you to imagine the creak of floorboards, the glow of candlelight, and the echo of history within walls that have watched a country’s birth.
Language
en
Duration
~3 hours (225K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United States: David McKay Company, 1921.
Credits
Charlene Taylor, Charlie Howard, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Release date
Mar 9, 2022
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1890–1970
A writer with one foot in history and the other in modern media, he moved from journalism and advertising into books that made American design, architecture, and wartime intrigue feel vivid and accessible. His work ranges from colonial houses and lettering to a study of German espionage in the United States during World War I.
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