DISPATCHES FROM THE ROAD

Memorial to Enslaved Laborers at University of Virginia — Video Dispatch

On his recent visit to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Clay visited the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers on campus. Dedicated in 2021, the memorial commemorates the estimated 4,000 enslaved people who worked on the University between 1817 and 1865.
Tagged under: , , , ,

University of Virginia: The Architecture of Education and Democracy — Video Dispatch

Thomas Jefferson conceived and designed the University of Virginia as a unique “Academic Village” where students and professors would live and learn together.
Tagged under: , , ,

Clay Tours Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello Estate — Video Dispatch

As a kickoff for his 2025 Lewis and Clark trek, Clay visited and toured Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s primary home and plantation in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Tagged under: , , , , ,

The Peaks of Otter — Thomas Jefferson Speculated America’s Tallest Mountains — Video Dispatch

Clay checks out The Peaks of Otter in the Blue Ridge Mountains, which Thomas Jefferson speculated were the country’s tallest mountains.
Tagged under: , , , , ,

The Spot That Made Thomas Jefferson Swoon: A Visit to Natural Bridge — Video Dispatch

Clay stopped by Natural Bridge State Park in the Shenandoah Valley. The site so captivated Thomas Jefferson that he purchased it from King of England in 1774.
Tagged under: , , , ,
Clay at Poplar Forest

Visiting Thomas Jefferson’s Private Personal Retreat — Video Dispatch

Kicking off his 2025 transcontinental Lewis and Clark trek, Clay spends the day at Poplar Forest, the beloved personal retreat of Thomas Jefferson, the mastermind behind the famous Corps of Discovery.
Tagged under: , , , , ,
Off Interstate 40 (and old U.S. Route 66), at the Continental Divide in New Mexico.

Racing the Southern Interstates Across America

About three days and 2,870 miles: Clay makes a rapid dash across the continent. 
Tagged under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
airstream

Leaving Home

Spring is here. It’s time to pack the bags, load the truck, and get on the trail of Lewis and Clark.
Tagged under: , ,
Protesters in Belle Fourche S.D., April 19, 2025.

While Passing Through a Small South Dakota Town

This will sound like a parable, and it may be. But I’m going to describe it exactly as it happened.
Tagged under:
Thomas Jefferson's majestic second home, Poplar Forrest, in Lynchburg, Va. Clay Jenkinson will lecture there at 2:00 pm, May 6, 2025. (Photo Poplar Forest)

Join Clay at Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest Home and Help Kick Off LTA’s 2025 Lewis and Clark Adventure

Clay will lecture at 2:00 p.m., May 6, 2025 on Thomas Jefferson’s vision for Lewis and Clark’s “Corps of Discovery.”
Tagged under: , ,