With NEH grant, Montpelier to study house of Madisons' overseer

The Montpelier Foundation has received a major, three-year grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to study the overseer’s house at the estate of President James Madison.

The grant will further Montpelier’s understanding and interpretation of the Madison family’s agricultural complex, which includes the archaeological site of the overseer’s house, the foundation announced Wednesday.

Studying the site through archaeological excavation, analysis and documentary research will paint a fuller picture of all the people who lived and worked at James Madison’s plantation in the early 19th century, and allow for fuller interpretation, the foundation said in a statement.

The highly prestigious grant was very competitive, Montpelier said. It was the second Collaborative Research Grant received by the foundation since 2010, and the second NEH grant awarded to Montpelier this year.