CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA—Excavations at Highland, the home of the United States' fifth president, James Monroe, have uncovered the foundation of a large house, according to a report in The Virginia Gazette. It had been thought that the modest building on the site was Monroe’s home, built in 1799, but dendrochronology of its corner posts suggests that they were cut between 1815 and 1818. This building is now thought to have been constructed during renovations of the property, perhaps as a guest house, mentioned by Monroe in a letter to his son-in-law in September 1818. “This finding represents a breakthrough in how the nation understands Monroe and how he lived,” said Sara Bon-Harper, executive director of James Monroe’s Highland. The newly uncovered foundation includes a chimney base and a stone cellar. Charred wood suggests that the house was destroyed by fire sometime after Monroe sold the property in 1826. Later newspaper accounts refer to the destruction of the former Monroe residence, and the construction of another home on the property in the 1870s. To read more about archaeology in Virginia, go to "Letter from Virginia: Free Before Emancipation."
