SPEAKER SERIES #1: Marc Leepson

 

 

Speaker Series #1

SAVING MONTICELLO:

The Levy Family's Epic Quest to Rescue the House That Jefferson Built

Marc Leepson - Historian, Author, Journalist

May 22nd  |  7:00 p.m.

Marc Leepson’s book Saving Monticello: The Levy Family’s Epic Quest to Rescue the House That Jefferson Built has been hailed as “a work of historical importance, a valuable addition to Jeffersoniana and Jewish-American history, and a cautionary tale of historic preservation” by the Richmond Times Dispatch. With a dramatic narrative sweep across generations, this book vividly recounts the turbulent saga of Jefferson’s estate.

 

Thomas Jefferson died in debt—to the tune of more than $100,000. Forced to sell thousands of acres of his lands and nearly all of his furniture and artwork, his heirs bid a final goodbye to Monticello itself. The house was sold to the highest bidder. "Saving Monticello" offers the first complete post-Jefferson history of this American icon and reveals the amazing story of how one Jewish family saved the house that became a family home to them for 89 years -- longer than it ever was to the Jeffersons. Two generations of the Levy family have saved the house from ruin at two different points in history. United by a fierce love of country, the Levy descendants venerated the Founding Fathers for establishing a religiously tolerant and democratic nation where their family had thrived since 1733, largely free of the persecutions and prejudices of the Old World.

 

Leepson is a journalist, historian and the author of nine books, most recently: Ballad of the Green Beret, What So Proudly We Hailed: Francis Scott Key, A Life, Lafayette: Idealist General, Desperate Engagement, Flag: An American Biography, and Saving Monticello. Additionally, he edited The Webster’s New World Dictionary of the Vietnam War and wrote two books on health topics in the 1980s. A former staff writer for Congressional Quarterly in Washington, D.C., he has been a free-lance writer since 1986. He has written for many newspapers, magazines, and resource publications.

 

FREE to the public. Seating is limited; make reservations online at: www.sotterley.org OR CALL 301-373-2280.

 

The Boeing Company has generously sponsored the Speaker Series at Sotterley for the past 12 years.

 

2019 Speaker Series Presenters Announced

 

2019 Speaker Series at Historic Sotterley

Presenters Announced

Historic Sotterley is pleased to announce the presenters for the 2019 Speaker Series. An important community outreach, this series is yet another way that this National Historic Landmark fulfills its mission of serving as an educational and cultural resource.

The Boeing Company has generously sponsored the Speaker Series at Historic Sotterley for the past 12 years. Because they are dedicated to promoting education and the arts within the Southern Maryland community, these events are free to the public.

Due to limited seating, please sign up on our website or call 301-373-2280 for reservations.

 

SAVING MONTICELLO:

The Levy Family's Epic Quest to Rescue the House That Jefferson Built

Marc Leepson - Historian, Author, Journalist

May 22nd  |  7:00 p.m.

THE COMMON CAUSE: Creating Race and Nation in the American Revolution

Robert Parkinson - Historian, Author,  Associate Professor

June 19th  |  7:00 p.m. 

HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND PLACE-BASED TEACHING:

The Importance of Knowing our History and

Culture in Order to Preserve our Democratic Republic 

O. James Lighthizer - President of the American Battlefield Trust

August 28th  |  7:00 p.m. 

SPY PILOT

Gary Powers, Jr. - Author, Historian

September 18th  |  7:00 p.m.

SINKING LANDS AND RISING SEAS:

Climate Change, Evolution of Chesapeake Bay & Effects on Cultural Resources

Ralph Eshelman - Paleontologist, Historian

October 9th  |  7:00 p.m.

FLORAL DIPLOMACY: At the White House

Laura Dowling - Author, Floral Designer

October 30th  |  7:00 pm

THE GHOSTS OF EDEN PARK

Karen Abbott - Author, Historian

November 13th  |  7:00 p.m.