On Feb. 1, 1770, the Jefferson family home caught fire and burned to the ground. Located on a 200-acre homesite in Virginia, the one-and-a-half story structure known as Shadwell was completed around 1741 and was the birthplace of Thomas Jefferson, born in 1743. Jefferson spent most of his childhood away from Shadwell, receiving his education in other parts of the British colony. When Jefferson’s father, Peter, died in 1757, the estate was bequeathed to him, though it would not come under his possession until he turned 21—the home, however, remained with his mother until her death in 1776. By the 1760s, though, Jefferson already had his sights set on constructing his own home.
His sights were rather lofty, literally and figuratively. The location of his new home would rest atop an 868-foot high mountain. Construction for what would become known as Monticello (meaning “little mountain” in Italian) began in 1769 (some sources suggest 1770). While his future home was being built, his past home was being destroyed.
