Albemarle Estate
There are times in your life when you go through tough seasons. 2022 was a rough season of life for me after losing my mother in a brutal three-year battle with ovarian cancer, not to mention she dealt with it through the COVID pandemic.
After she passed, I needed to go away for a quick reset, and I was seeking an experience I had never encountered before. One place that I had been meaning to visit was Charlottesville, VA. The location intrigued me after reading about Thomas Jefferson’s famous residence, Monticello, and his once 400-acre vineyard that is now divided into many smaller vineyards.
Searching through the various hotels in the area, I came across one of the best places to stay in Charlottesville, VA: The Albemarle Estate. It was whimsical and looked like a mansion set in the English countryside. I called a few of my super adventurous girlfriends that same week to book a room at the Estate. Off we went, driving through the winding roads leading up to the Estate, surrounded by magical trees that were just breathtaking as we whipped around every corner.
The Arrival
We finally arrived at an Estate with large iron gates a mile from the house. We pull up, pushing the call button to let the guard know that we have a reservation, and the gates were opened. We felt like movie stars or, better yet: royalty.
As we parked at the Estate, the host came out and greeted us, checked us in, and asked if we would like a property tour. Without hesitation we accepted as we were more than excited! The Albemarle Estate is a part of the Trump Winery and the Trump Hotel Collection.
This home was originally owned by John and Patricia Kluge. At one point John was one of the wealthiest men in the world, being the founder of a huge telecommunications company called Metromedia. (1)
Enjoying the Estate
The Estate has only twelve rooms but the property is so massive that it felt like we were the only guests in the whole place, although we would meet most other guests at dinner and in the English Library for cocktails. As there were no strict rules as you encounter in most hotels, there was an air of “anything goes” in this beautiful Estate.
What time did the pool close? There was no set closing time, and it was heated. My girlfriends and I enjoyed more bottles than I can remember of the excellent Blanc de Blanc, which was only $17 a bottle and was incredibly delicious. The Estate has a French chef who whipped up the most fantastic dinner in the dining room for both of the nights we were there.
After an excellent French meal on the first night we headed to the English library, which felt like we were in a real-life game of clue. If you needed another drink, all you needed to do was pick up the phone and the staff could bring whatever your heart desired.
Too Much Blanc de Blanc
After feeling as though I was Nancy Drew with my two besties (George and Bess, naturally) we headed to the heated pool overlooking the property with a stunning view. Here we were: middle-aged ladies, drinking too much Blanc de Blanc and racing each other into the pool until 1 am. Soon enough, one of the other guests came out and yelled at us for being too loud. So off we went to bed, unsure of who exactly it was that had yelled at us.
I woke up the girls much earlier than they would have liked because I was not planning on missing our breakfast cooked to order in the gorgeous kitchen dining room. Sitting at breakfast with the most fantastic view, a couple we spoke to in the library the night before popped in and said, “Did you hear those loud girls last night? They must have been college girls.” My one girlfriend and I about died slowly slouching into our chairs, and then our other friend said, “Oh, that was us!”
Then it got awkward, and I slumped even farther into my chair, looking at my other friend slowly slumping into her chair. It was not my proudest moment, but we had a great time and made memories on this trip that will last us a lifetime.
Heading to the Wineries
After breakfast we headed out to visit vineyards on the Monticello wine trail, first to Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyard, and then the Trump Winery next door to the Estate. To be honest, these places created an atmosphere that was just so romantic, and the scenery was simply breathtaking.
This is a certain kind of trip: an adventure you do that is so outside of the box for a special occasion or just because you can. The staff at Albemarle Estate gave us the best customer service I have ever seen, and they went above and beyond to make our visit to the Estate a memorable one. I will return to the Albemarle Estate and look forward to bringing my husband next time.
On our last day we decided to visit Monticello, the famous residence of Thomas Jefferson. He is famous for a multitude of reasons that number too many to list in my humble blog, but here are a few notable ones: He was one of the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence, the first Secretary of State under George Washington, the second Vice President under John Adams, the third President of the United States, and the second Governor of Virginia.
Not too shabby of a resume. Monticello was his place of solace and I personally found it to be very whimsical. We arrived a little late in the day and the only tour available was of the slave quarters and the gardens, which I found to be very enlightening. (Pro tip: Arrive earlier in the day, and get the full experience!)
…And now for your Historical DEEP DIVE!
There are many controversies that have been written about Jefferson, but the one that I find most interesting is a misconception about the concept of the Separation of Church and State. Many believe it is somehow codified into our Nation’s laws or judicial system, while in fact the truth is much stranger.
As I was taking my Masters in American History I came across a book written by Daniel Dreisbach who is a scholar in American Constitutional Law and History: Thomas Jefferson and the Wall of Separation Between Church and State.(3) The fact is that Jefferson was never at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and the transcripts by the delegates never discussed such a thing as separation of church and state in reference to the first amendment.(4)
Most interestingly, the separation of church and state was actually written in the form of a letter from Jefferson in 1802 in response to receiving a large wheel of Cheshire cheese that was delivered to the President’s house after having been sent by the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut. It measured more than four feet in diameter, thirteen feet in circumference, and seventeen inches in thickness; once cured, it weighed 1,235 pounds.
According to eyewitnesses, its crust was painted red and emblazoned with Jefferson’s favorite motto: “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.”(3) I found it very interesting that this odd correspondence has been continually repeated by judges and American educators since the writings of Jefferson’s letter, and used to support the concept of the Separation of Church and State within the entire judicial system.
Below, I have dug up the actual letter for you- feast your eyes:
ID15791677© Robert Crow |Dreamstime.com
Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut (5)
Gentlemen
The affectionate sentiments of esteem and approbation which you are so good as to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Baptist association, give me the highest satisfaction. my duties dictate a faithful and zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, & in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more and more pleasing.
Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.
Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.
I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection & blessing of the common father and creator of man, and tender you for yourselves & your religious association, assurances of my high respect & esteem.
Th Jefferson
Jan. 1. 1802.
Isn’t that interesting!?
In 1777, Jefferson also penned one of his most famous bills: “Establishing Religious Freedoms”. It set a much more accommodating view of the Church for the Commonwealth than what the separatist model continues to attribute to him in conventional judicial interpretations.
The bill failed to gain passage in 1779 when it was first brought before Virginia legislature but would eventually be enacted on Jan 16, 1786. Due to citations of his letter about the wheel of cheese rather than the actual bill he passed, the court has time and again cultivated an erroneous conception of Jefferson’s church-state views to inform its first amendment analysis, and its legal pronouncements may lack analytical merit and historical validity as a result. (6) Jefferson penned his own epitaph which was placed on his tombstone:
Here was buried Thomas Jefferson,
Author of the Declaration of American Independence,
Of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom,
And Father of the University of Virginia. (6)
If Jefferson was such a huge proponent of religious freedom, why have Americans taken the separation of church and state to mean a total separation of religion? It is an interesting thing to ponder, by studying and researching primary sources I have often come to different conclusions than what I have been taught in the American public educational system.
It has taught me to clearly research primary and secondary sources to understand the context of which it came from. This is why I love history so much, through primary and secondary resource research your mind can be changed to see the different facets of history instead of just one side that we may have been taught. History often has layers that must be pulled apart and it has many different perspectives that need to be taken into account.
Virginia has such a rich history and I find it to be such a picturesque state. Of Virginia’s charms, Charlottesville is by far one of the most romantic and beautiful places I have found. If you have never been, I encourage you to visit this enchanted place and tour Monticello. Trust me on this one, you won’t be disappointed.
Sources:
(1) https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/money-and-power/a871/trump-winery-history/
(4) https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript