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Poplar Forest is Thomas Jefferson’s personal retreat. One of only two homes Thomas Jefferson designed and built for his own use, it has been designated a National Historic Landmark by the Secretary of the Interior.
The nonprofit Corporation for Jefferson's Poplar Forest was formed in December 1983 by a group of individuals to rescue Poplar Forest for the cultural and educational benefit of the public. In 1984 the Corporation succeeded in taking title to a 50-acre parcel of land which was all that remained of Jefferson’s original plantation.
In 1986 Poplar Forest opened to the public for the first time and preparations began to restore Jefferson's buildings and grounds. Funds were raised to stabilize the historic features, open the landmark to the public, complete payment on the first land purchases, accomplish a state-of-the-art restoration and develop the property's tremendous educational potential.
Awarded the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Honor Award, the restoration now in progress is regarded in the professional preservation community as one of the most important restoration projects in the country. Compared to historic American landmarks such as Mount Vernon and Monticello, Poplar Forest is in the infancy of its rescue and restoration.
Visitors from all 50 states and more than 80 countries have come to Poplar Forest to experience Thomas Jefferson, his ideas and ideals. Working together, archeologists, restoration architects, architectural historians, and craftsman continue to restore the retreat and to identify the original features of the landscape and the plantation.
“More and more it is becoming clear how very important Poplar Forest is to our enlarged understanding of Thomas Jefferson and the reach of his imagination. That Jefferson was, along with so many other things, one of the premier American architects, has long been appreciated, but the originality and ingenuity of Poplar Forest – especially now that it is being so superbly restored – raise his standing still higher. This is an American masterpiece by a great American artist who happened to be The President of the United States.”
David McCullough, Historian
The Corporation for Jefferson's Poplar Forest
P.O. Box 419
Forest, VA 24551-0419
Phone Number (434) 525-1806
Fax Number (434) 525-7252
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