Mementos of the Story of America as
written by the Presidents and inspired by Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley
Appreciate the Story of America.... as it was
shaped by the nation's chief executives. See a handwritten letter from Thomas
Jefferson or stand by the desk on which the Constitution was crafted and James Madison
labored on the Federalist Papers. You will appreciate as never before, the agonizing
struggle of the Founding Fathers to declare independence from Britain, to create a new
government and then forge a new nation.
Understand the remarkable influence of Virginia and the Shenandoah
Valley on the presidency.
Four of the first five presidents, eight in all, were Virginians, born and reared to
reflect the values of the Old Dominion. For these and several more presidents, the
Shenandoah Valley provided respite, formative experiences and inspiration.
Washington had his first job and military command here; Jefferson marveled at the
Valley's geology and mused about its warlike natives. Madison married Dolley here
and honeymooned at nearby Belle Grove. Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt took
their ease in the Blue Ridge Mountains. |
