Just outside Orange is the lifelong residence of James Madison (1751–1836), the fourth president of the United States. He grew up here, lived here with his wife, Dolley, and retired here after his presidency. A massive renovation was completed in 2008, removing parts of the mansion added by its 20th-century owners, the duPont family. In her will, Marion duPont Scott left the estate to the...
Set on a 2,700-acre estate, facing the Blue Ridge Mountains 25 miles northeast of Charlottesville, Montpelier was home to President James Madison and his equally famous wife, Dolley. Madison was just 26 in 1776 when he ensured that religious freedom would be included in the Virginia Declaration of Rights, and his efforts at the federal Constitutional Convention in 1787 earned him the title...