Montpelier Retains Presidential Past : Styles from Colonial to Art Deco mix in Virginia estate of James Madison and William du Pont.

I hate historical house tours. Costumed docents fill me with dread. I loathe trudging by room after roped-off room of painstakingly restored and lavishly reproduced interiors.

But Montpelier, the Orange County, Va., home of James Madison and later of a branch of the du Pont families, is different. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has owned the 2,700-acre estate (135 buildings plus the main house) since 1983, calls it a “research project in progress.”

Instead of a faux-4th President and his wife Dolley, you’re more likely to see architects and agriculturalists at work; the tour guides focus on their efforts more than historical minutiae.

Inside the mansion, a tour guide explains the shadow or “ghost” outlines of former doors and walls in unfurnished areas first, describing the builders’ secrets within, before heading to one room with (thankfully few) Madison belongings. Then it’s a leap forward to the early 20th Century in three du Pont-furnished rooms--one startlingly Art Deco.

Donna Bedwell, Montpelier’s marketing director, explains the genial mix of Colonial and recent history at the estate this way: “Our goal is preservation, not restoration. Who’s to say that later generations won’t find the (du Pont) era as interesting to study as the Early American?”

That’s not to say the Madison legacy is given short shrift. His contributions to the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights are duly noted in a 10-minute film shown before the shuttle ride to the house.

The du Pont influence on the estate is immediately noticeable. Just across the road from the visitor center is the small but serviceable Montpelier train station. William du Pont, who bought the estate in 1900, had it built so friends and family wouldn’t have to leave the grounds to catch a locomotive. The leisurely shuttle toward the pastel-tinted mansion goes by the steeplechase course and flat racetrack installed by William’s horse-loving daughter, Marion du Pont Scott. It was Marion who donated the estate to the National Trust.

Her parents designed the formal room next door, which features Wedgwood panels on the fireplace, faded silk panels on the walls, a limited-edition Steinway with built-in candelabra and a ceiling copied after the du Ponts’ Berkshire estate. In a thoughtful gesture, they placed an 1818 bust of Dolley Madison in the room.

The du Ponts’ ties to the Madisons go beyond their acquisition of the former President’s estate, which had changed hands several times since the widowed Dolley was forced to sell it in 1844. (Blame her profligate son by a previous marriage, who ended up in debtors’ prison anyway.) William’s great-grandfather, Pierre Samuel du Pont, corresponded with Madison as a courtier of Louis XVI.

But genealogy is not lingered over at Montpelier; after passing through a handful of rooms, visitors are encouraged to stroll the expansive grounds.

The Garden Club of Virginia has rescued the formal gardens, whose paths include a sunny, terraced walkway (guarded by sleepy lions) and a cool, hedge-covered lane. Head the opposite direction and you’ll come to Madison’s distinctive ice house. A brochure mapping the grounds lists more than 40 species of trees. With 200 acres of never-timbered wood, the site is a national natural landmark.

Pastures, stables and other houses on the estate are leased to help pay the $1-million annual maintenance. All of Orange County turns out for the annual Montpelier Hunt Races in November. Montpelier is more living than “living history”--and I’m grateful.

GUIDEBOOK

Visiting Montpelier

Getting there: From Los Angeles, fly to Washington, D.C., then rent a car and take U.S. 29 and U.S. 15 southwest about 70 miles to Orange, Va. Montpelier is about four miles west of Orange on Virginia 20. Round-trip air fares from Los Angeles to Washington via USAir and United start at $420.

Admission and hours: Admission (including film and shuttle bus) is $6 adults, $5 seniors (age 60 and up) and $1 ages 6-12 (younger are free). The estate is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily through Dec. 31 (closed Thanksgiving, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1), and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. weekends, Jan. 2-March 15.

For more information: Contact Montpelier, P.O. Box 67, Montpelier Station, Va. 22957, (703) 672-2728.