Clothing, chairs tell history’s tale at estate exhibit

By Sharon C. Fitzgerald Daily Progress correspondent
Published: July 4, 2008

Old clothing and chairs are more than just artifacts at Ash Lawn-Highland.

These pieces — items owned or on loan to the presidential home — make up two exhibits that will on display this year.

“These items tell a story and make people think about their own family history,” said Carolyn Coggin Holmes, executive director of Ash Lawn. “You can look around your house and see your own family history.”

The museum currently has an exhibit of clothing dating from 1800 to 1825 — all items on loan from Mary D. Doering, a professor at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington.

The exhibit, which showcases all types of clothing from the time period in which James Monroe lived — has been extended through September. In the fall, Doering will give a presentation at the museum about her collection.

“It has been such a successful exhibit,” Holmes said. “When you walk into each of the rooms you can see the clothing. It has given the rooms such a human element.”

Among the most interesting items in the collection is a uniform that would have been worn by a servant of the time, she said.

“The public has really enjoyed this exhibit,” Holmes said.

Ash Lawn is now working on an exhibit of 12 chairs owned by Monroe during his lifetime. The exhibit, which will begin in December and last through most of 2009, will also include chairs from the James Monroe Museum in Fredericksburg.

“You can just line those chairs up and each one will tell a story about Monroe’s life,” Holmes said.

Included in the collection will be chairs the fifth president brought back from trips to France and Russia and a rocking chair that was in the room where he died.

“He lived in so many places and when he lived overseas he would have to start over from scratch,” Holmes said.

In recent years, Ash Lawn officials have collected items that once belonged to Monroe. They have also discovered chairs that either belonged to him or that he brought back to Monticello and Montpelier.

“We have been able to learn a lot about him through these items,” Holmes said.

Ash Lawn-Highland, which enjoyed about 68,000 visitors in 2007, tries to come up with new and different exhibits each year, Holmes said. She said it gives locals something new to look at.

“There is so much more we would like to do than we can do every day,” Holmes said. “It’s an extended history lesson.”