The Virginia Presidents

This book is for the traveler interested in the lives of the eight men from Virginia who became President of the United States. Four of the first five presidents were Virginians - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe - covering thirty of the nation's first thirty-four years. Two - William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor - professional soldiers who would push aside the American Indian as America moved to the Pacific Ocean. One - John Tyler - would annex Texas and watch the nation break apart in Civil War. The last Virginia president - Woodrow Wilson - born on the eve of the Civil War, would try to infuse a concept of progressivism into a world order at the beginning of the twentieth century. Two of the birth homes — Harrison and Wilson — and two of the birth sites — Washington and Monroe — may be visited. Two of the birth homes — Tyler and Taylor — still exist, but are in private hands and not open to the public. Seven of the presidents acquired homes during their life time, which have been preserved as memorials —Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Harrison, Tyler, and Wilson — in which guides and exhibits tell the story of their lives and the nation that they served. The lives of the eight Virginia presidents are told with special attention not only to their homes, but to the many other sites for each president that may be visited. The purpose of this book is to provide the reader with the historical context of these presidential sites. The reader may go directly to a president or a site of interest. The hyper-linked Table of Contents lists all the sites associated with each president.