James Madison's Montpelier We The People Fall 2014 | Page 7

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We T he People

To further this effort, The Montpelier Foundation has
partnered with the Orange County African American Historical
Association and descendants of the Montpelier and Orange
County enslaved communities. Gathering oral histories and
making connections between families has been essential to
unveiling the more complete American story.
“My family’s history is being told,” states Rebecca Gilmore
Coleman, the great-granddaughter of George Gilmore, who
was born into slavery at Montpelier in 1810.
A skilled farmer and carpenter, George Gilmore and his
wife Polly began a new life when freedom came in 1865.
Gilmore was listed in a Freedmen’s Bureau record as one of
six African Americans in the area who could read and write
and was of “good character.” The 1870 census reveals that
the Gilmores and their five children lived on and farmed
land owned by Dr. James A. Madison, the president’s greatnephew. In 1901, George Gilmore, now age 91, purchased
the 16.1 acres and became a landowner. The deed bearing
Gilmore’s signature still exists and tells a powerful story of a
family’s journey from being property to owning property.
The Gilmore Cabin, located a short distance from
Montpelier’s entrance along Route 20, still stands today,
thanks in large part to Mrs. Coleman, who brought the cabin
to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s attention in
1998, the same time The Montpelier Foundation was being
established. Under Montpelier’s leadership and with the
support of the Richard S. Reynolds Foundation, the site was
restored in 2001. “When I’m here, it is spiritual to me,”
comments Mrs. Coleman. “It gives me and my family a sense
of place because it’s nice to know where your roots lie. I can
visualize George and Polly raising their family here. To me,
they’re still alive, living through me.