Monticello in beautiful Charlottesville, Virginia was home to Thomas Jefferson the author of the Declaration of Independence and Statute of Religious Freedom, third president of the United States and the founder of the University of Virginia. Jefferson spent 40 years re-building and refining Monticello. A magnifying glass is displayed in the parlor which was the center of social activity in the house. February 25, 2012. Vanessa Vick for The New York Times