James Monroe Family Home Site

James Monroe Birthplace Park & Museum, also known as James Monroe's Birthplace & Boyhood Home, is a historic archaeological site located near Monroe Hall and Colonial Beach, Westmoreland County, Virginia. The site includes the ruins and a restoration of the Monroe Family Home and birthplace of U.S. Founding Father and President James Monroe, which were uncovered in 1976 by a team from the College of William & Mary. Monroe spent his entire youth working the farm until he left for his education at William & Mary, following which he served in the Continental Army. The archaeological team uncovered a house foundation measuring 20 feet by 58 feet. The known 1845 etchings of the birth home indicate a small four room, rough cut wooden farm house with few outbuildings on a 500-acre farm filled with wetlands. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, with a boundary increase in 2008. Construction started in 2017 to restore Monroe’s home and to create a walking path that highlights James Monroe's accomplishments; construction was projected to take two years, but ultimately lasted until 2021.

Archaeological site data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).