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| 1745 |
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"Poplar Forest" mentioned in early land records. |
| 1749 |
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"Poplar Forest" appeared on early land plat. |
| 1773 |
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Thomas Jefferson visited Poplar Forest for the first time in September after his wife inherited the 4,819 acre plantation following the death of her father, John Wayles. |
| 1781 |
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Jefferson and family in seclusion at Poplar Forest after British invasion of Monticello. He worked on Notes on the State of Virginia, his only published book. |
| 1806 |
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Construction began on the octagonal retreat at Poplar Forest |
| 1809 |
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Jefferson stayed in main house at Poplar Forest for the first time. |
| 1812 |
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Construction at Poplar Forest considered basically "complete". |
| 1814 |
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Wing of offices built. |
| 1823 |
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Grandson Francis Eppes and wife Elizabeth began residence at Poplar Forest. Jefferson visited Poplar Forest for the final time in the spring. |
| 1825 |
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Fire causes minor damage to house. |
| 1826 |
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Jefferson dies July 4 at Monticello at age 83. Eppes inherits Poplar Forest and 1,074 acres. |
| 1828 |
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Eppes sells Poplar Forest and moves his family to Florida. William Cobbs becomes the new owner; his daughter Emily marries Edward Sixtus Hutter; property remains in the Cobb-Hutter family until 1946. |
| 1845 |
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Fire damages Poplar Forest. Repairs undertaken that alter the house's exterior and interior. |
| 1864 |
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General Hunter of the Union forces raids Poplar Forest and, as a member of the Hutter family recalls, "carried off everything with life except about 10 faithful negroes out of 48 slaves". |
| 1946 |
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The Hutters sell Poplar Forest to the James O. Watts family. |
| 1979 |
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Poplar Forest sold to Dr. James A. Johnson, High Point, N.C. |
| 1984 |
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Property sold to The Corporation for Jefferson's Poplar Forest, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and restoring Thomas Jefferson's retreat. |
| 1986 |
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Poplar Forest opens for public visitation on a regular basis. |
| 1989 |
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Archaeological investigation of property and architectural stabilization begin, in preparation for restoration of the buildings and grounds. |
| 1990 |
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Investigation of the architectural features of the Jefferson-era buildings begin. |
| 1993 |
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The "bricks and mortar" phase of the restoration project begins with conservation, including stabilization, drainage, and foundation work. |
| 1993 |
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Archaeologists begin excavating slave quarters |
| 1996 |
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Masonry restoration of the exterior walls and the interior cube room walls is completed. Reconstruction of the terras roof with skylight is completed including entablature, balustrade, gutters, Chinese railing, pediments and tin-coated shingles. |
| 1997 |
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Roof completed. |
| 1998 |
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Exterior restoration completed. The restoration earns the coveted Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Archaeologists begin two-year investigation of south lawn landscape. |
1999 |
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Interior structural stabilization completed.
Archaeologists wrap up main south lawn excavation and continue landscape investigation in other areas near the house. |
| 2000 |
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Wing reconstruction begins. Heating and ventilation system installed. |
| 2001 |
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Archaeologists begin investigating area to the southeast of the house. Past evidence suggests Jefferson-era farm buildings and a road may be located there. Two octagonal privies restored. |
| 2002 |
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Interior structural restoration completed inside the house. The last phase of restoration inside the house itself -- the finish work -- began with the plastering of the ceilings. |
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Excavated tree holes suggest to archaeologists that they have found one section of the circular dirt road that Jefferson had built around his house. |
| 2003 |
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Interior finish work continued as masons completed plastering the ceilings and started plastering the walls. |
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Archaeologists continued their excavations in the southeast quadrant of the core area. They found evidence suggesting the existence of an antebellum slave cabin and a Jefferson-era building site underneath. |
| 2004 |
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Wall plastering completed. Work progresses on the reconstruction of the east wing as valley joists are cut to length and ridge rafters set into place. |
| 2005 |
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The alcove bed in the east bed chamber is framed with white oak timbers. Sample interior molding samples are crafted with antique hand planes. Shingles begin to be installed on the roof of the east wing. The History Channel's Save America's Treasures begins filming. |
| 2006 |
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The installation of shingles on the wing of offices was completed. The History Channel's Save America's Treasures aired, 17 June
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| 2007 |
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Installed fascia, cornice molding and ridge caps to east wing. Staff covered the east wing with a rubber membrane to protect against weather and water. East wing window frames and architraves fabricated. |
| 2008 |
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Windows and doors crafted and installed on the east wing. Installation of the final layer of flat decking begins. |
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