This is an IHeart podcast.

And we're back with our American stories.

Thomas Jefferson's impact on our country cannot be overstated.

He fought for religious liberty, states' rights, and expanded this country with the Louisiana Purchase. His legacy is memorialized in many locations across the country, not the least of which is his own residence in Charlottesville, Virginia, Monticello.

Mark Leapson brings us the story of one family's fight to honor Jefferson with the preservation

of this historic structure.

Well, this story has several aspects to it.

And at its heart, it's a story of historic preservation.

It's a story of Thomas Jefferson. It's a story of Thomas Jefferson.

It's a story of architecture.

Monticello, the history of Monticello.

And it's a Jewish-American history story, which we'll see as we get into it.

It starts on one of the most amazing days in American history, and that was the day that Thomas Jefferson died.

And I think you probably know what day that was. July 4th, 1826.

On that day, up at on the mountain at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson died about one o'clock in the afternoon.

And then a few hours later, at his farm up in Massachusetts, John Adams died. Our second and

third presidents died on the 50th anniversary of the Republic that they were so instrumental in founding.

And, you know, people reacted. I mean, they didn't have CNN back then, but people found

out soon enough. Sometimes in apocalyptic terms, I mean, John Quincy Adams wrote in his diary that

these two men dying on this day was a visible and palpable manifestation of divine intervention.

Now, whether it was divine intervention or not, I'd like you to know one other thing about July 4th, 1826 and Thomas Jefferson, when he died, he was over $107,000 in debt. Now, that's a lot of money today, but it was a small fortune back in 1826. We're talking about at least two million dollars.

So the family was stuck with a two million dollar debt. And who was the family? Who inherited?

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