Press Releases
Poplar Forest Releases New Archaeology Publication -
Over the past two decades, Poplar Forest archaeologists have produced a wide variety of articles, reports and conference papers. The recent discovery of two important archaeological sites at Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest is highlighted in a new booklet published by the Department of Archaeology and Landscapes called “Culture of the Earth: The Archaeology of the Ornamental Plant Nursery and an Antebellum Slave Cabin at Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest.”
In recent years, a combination of excavations, laboratory analysis, and specialized studies have located Thomas Jefferson’s ornamental plant nursery and a mid-19th century slave cabin that stood nearby. Jefferson established a nursery around 1811 in order to raise the plants needed to create the ornamental grounds around the retreat house at Poplar Forest; however no specific location for this site was ever noted in historic documents. Similarly, in the years after Jefferson’s death, numerous log slave cabins were built by the Cobbs and Hutter families, yet their precise locations were not known.
This booklet provides an overview of how these sites have been found, what types of artifacts were recovered, how Poplar Forest archaeologists have gained new information about Jefferson’s attempts to create an ornamental landscape at Poplar Forest, as well as how the conditions of slavery changed in the years leading up to emancipation.
“As archaeologists, we study people who lived in the past by carefully excavating, recording, and examining the things they left behind. These things can be as large as a house, as small as a bead, or as microscopic as a grain of pollen,” said Jack Gary, Director of Archaeology and Landscapes. “At Poplar Forest, we also study how people changed the landscape over the years from forests to agricultural fields to slave quarters to gardens to ornamental grounds. And like Mr. Jefferson, we want to tell others about what we have discovered and how.”
The “Culture of the Earth” publication is the result of a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services.
To download a PDF copy of the booklet, please visit www.poplarforest.org/archaeology/articles-and-publications. Right click the image and click "Open Link" to open or download. You can also order a printed copy for $2.95 by calling the Poplar Forest Museum Shop at (434) 534-8120.
About Poplar Forest
Poplar Forest is Thomas Jefferson's secluded plantation and retreat home, now a National Historic Landmark. Undergoing award-winning restoration and archaeology, Poplar Forest offers educational outreach programs, tours and special events. Poplar Forest is open Wednesday through Monday, April through November; except Thanksgiving Day, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call (434) 525-1806 or visit www.poplarforest.org for additional information.
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Director of Communications
P.O. Box 419
Forest, Virginia 24551-0419
Phone: (434) 534-8116
Email: Angela@poplarforest.org
All other calls should be directed to (434) 525-1806.
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