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The James Madison Museum of Orange County honors our 4th President, Father of the Constitution, and author of the Bill of Rights, James Madison.
In addition, it collects artifacts of Orange County, Virginia’s history and heritage.
While small, the museum packs a lot of meticulously-researched and curated relics into a several exhibition spaces.
No museum about James Madison is complete without reference to Dolley Madison, and this one was no exception. We had previously visited the Greensboro History Museum in North Carolina, which also had an exhibit on Dolley as she was born in the town.
On display were portraits of Dolley and her sister, a baby cap knitted by Dolley, and other relics of their time in the White House and at Montpelier.
We were aware of Madison’s rather poor health from the portrayal of him in the music Hamilton (which is largely based on fact), but we also learned at the Museum that Madison was famously derided for being short of stature, likely around 5’6″ and weighing 110-115 pounds, and possessed a head that “seemed too large for his frail body.”
Dolley, on the other hand, was 5’7″ and a “pleasing armful.” Jennifer’s response to being described similarly is best left unreported.
While we knew that Major General Zachary Taylor, the 12th President of the U.S., was born in the area (we had visited the historical marker at his birthplace, Montebello, earlier in the day), we did not know that Taylor and Madison were cousins!
As one of the museum’s exhibits explained, they were second cousins who shared a common great-grandfather, James Taylor, one of the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe.
Madison’s presidential connections don’t end there — he is also second cousin once removed from James K. Polk, 11th President of the U.S. I enjoyed learning about the Presidential Cousins at the Museum.
The museum includes a reproduction set of the Madison Presidential China, producing using the design of the French replacement set that Madison ordered after the British burned the White House in 1814 (see cover photo). We had previously visited Madison’s impressive home, Montpelier, nearby, as well, and this museum had a French porcelain fruit basket that belonged to the Madisons at that home and remained there during its ownership by Marion duPont.
