This page is under construction, more detail to come.

The Monticello Hackberry
beside Thomas Jefferson's Home

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This hackberry grew on the east side of the house, below the gravel service road that runs directly below the paved Monticello Loop road.  The large section on the ground fell naturally before the storm, but the rest of the tree was failing fast.  This photo shows a dead section lying beside the leaning double trunk hackberry, with the trailing lightening cable it pulled down.

Here is the stump of the tree after it was taken down in July, with a tour bus visible stopped in front of the walk up to the house.  You can see the rot that was working up from the root, and you can see some of the spalting already in progress.  The finished bowls often feature much spalting.

The Monticello bowls are sold primarily by the Monticello Museum Shop.  There are several other turners working with the wood.  Each piece is numbered sequentially by the artist, documented by photograph, and is accompanied by a certification card from Monticello.  Sales have been brisk over the years as people can appreciate the sense of history they get with these elegant sections of the tree.   You may contact the Museum Shop  at 434-984-9840 or 1-800-243-1743 to check for availability if you are interested. 

For a bit of Jefferson's own thoughts on trees, go to the Monticello website  http://www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/trees-monticello