Reconstructing the Masonry

Limestone being burned at Virginia Lime Works in Lynchburg, Virginia
Originally the Madisons quarried the lime for their buildings at a quarry found on their Montpelier Plantation. However, the quarry appears to have been exhausted by the late 19th century and so limestone from the same vein was collected in the neighboring town of Gordonsville. This lime was then burned and mixed, or slaked, with water to form lime putty. The putty was then mixed with sand to form a mortar that was used to repoint the historic brickwork.

New bricks used to repair and reconstruct missing masonry walls. Where possible the masons re-used original 18th-century Madison bricks recovered during the deconstruction phase. However, the small number of recovered bricks were not enough to complete the project, and so custom-made bricks were ordered from Old Carolina Brick Company. These bricks matched the original size, color, and texture of the original bricks.