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On Sept. 11, six days before the nation celebrated Constitution Day, a woman stepped up to the visitor centers front desk at James Madisons Montpelier to buy tickets for a guided tour, an everyday occurrence.

But as she and her husband began strolling the grounds of the fourth U.S. presidents home in Orange County, Va., a few staff members realized these were no ordinary guests.

Former Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, had come to see where James and Dolley Madison lived.

Zeb Dillon Gray, one of the interpreters who manage the Madisons house, quickly rose to the occasion and gave the Pences a private, room-to-room tour of the familys stately brick mansion.

Upstairs, they stood in James Madisons study overlooking the Blue Ridge, where he studied scores of books his friend Thomas Jefferson shipped from France. There, the 36-year-old planter and Princeton graduate drew upon the Enlightenments ideas and created the Virginia Plan that formed the foundation of the U.S. Constitution during the constitutional convention of 1787 in Philadelphia.

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We were excited that former Vice President and Mrs. Pence took time to visit Montpelier when they were in the area on 9/11, during Constitution Month, Elizabeth Chew, The Montpelier Foundations interim president and CEO, said Saturday. We appreciate Mr. Pences recognition of the important work we are doing at Montpelier to honor Madisons gift to our nation.

The Pences enjoyed their tour, then paid their respects to President Madison in the brick-walled Madison Family Cemetery, a short walk across the estates green fields from the big house, staff members said.

There, they were joined by Montpelier Foundation Chairman James French and Chew, with whom they discussed a shared passion for Madisonian principles and the Constitution, Dr. Chew said in a statement Saturday.

The vice president said he came to Montpelier to pay homage to James Madison because he was inspired by him to support the peaceful transfer of power, Chew said. Montpeliers leadership and staff were impressed by the vice presidents reverence for the place and the legacy of James Madison, which so many work daily to preserve.

The Pences described the profound impact that Montpelierthe house and the groundshad on them, Chew said.

During their visit, the Pences told the staff they had long sought to visit Montpelier. They asked a guide to snap a photo of them in front of the Madisons home.

The next day, Pence tweeted several photos from their visit, writing, Inspiring stop last weekend at Montpelier the Home of President James Madison, the Father of the Constitution! Thanks again to the Great Staff for the Warm Welcome & all you do to Preserve the Legacy of our 4th President!

In the days afterward, Pence expressed on social media and again in a personal letter to the foundation how inspiring he found his time with us, Chew said. ... We greatly appreciate his kind words.

After a two-year-plus absence during the COVID-19 pandemic, Montpelier has brought back tours focusing in depth on the Constitution and Bill of Rights, Madisons two signal accomplishments. The historic site is offering those tours regularly.

Montpelier was once a place where James and Dolley Madison invited people of all political perspectives to sit down at their dinner table and talk, James French said in an interview Saturday. What were hoping to do here is re-establish that national dinner table where the American people can come and have conversations. The Pences visit is a perfect example of how were doing that.

Last November, addressing a Young Americas Foundation event at the University of Iowa, Pence told the young conservatives he looked to the teachings of James Madison and the Bible to help him hold steady at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

A questioner in the audience, Jared, asked him, Who told you to buck President Trumps plan and certify the votes?

Pence responded, James Madisonknown as the Father of the Constitution, The Washington Post reported. The Hill headlined its story, Pence took inspiration from Madison, Bible on Jan. 6.

Referring to the oath he swore to uphold the Constitution, Pence also cited a Bible verse he said he leaned on: Psalm 15 says he who keeps his oath even when it hurts.

A believer in the peaceful transfer of power, when Congress met on Jan. 6, Pence refused to help overturn the 2020 presidential elections outcome.

As rioters chanted Hang Mike Pence, he escaped the mob sacking the Capitol, then returned hours later to preside over lawmakers certification of the Electoral College countas the Constitution requires.

I understand the disappointment in the election. You might remember I was on the ballot, Pence told the 500 or so people at the YAF event in Iowa. But youve got to be willing to do your duty. And the time may come that some of you are in that position, or one like it. And I just have a feeling, based on the shining faces Im seeing around here, youre going to be men and women who do your duty in that time as well.

September has been busy at Montpelier. For the first time, the presidential site has expanded its annual celebration of the U.S. Constitution from its traditional Constitution Day, on Sept. 17, to the entire month.

Large numbers of visitors, both on site and online, have attended special eventsincluding the opening of a new tour in the East Woods and a series of educational panels focused on the world-changing ideals of the Constitution and the Madison legacy, as seen from various historical perspectives.

The months high-profile speakers have included Charlottesville-based New York Times opinion writer Jamelle Bouie, presidential scholar Lindsay Chervinsky and prominent Montpelier Foundation board members.

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Mike and Karen Pence revere Madison, Constitution on Montpelier visit - Culpeper Star-Exponent