RESTORATION TEAM REACHES MILESTONE INSIDE JEFFERSON'S HOME
Poplar Forest Newsletter, Fall 2002

Poplar Forest carpenters wrapped up the last detail of structural restoration inside the octagonal house this spring when they constructed the wood framing of the walls that formed Jefferson’s  bed alcove.

The bed alcove adds immensely to the visitor experience, allowing guests to see for the first time the configuration of Jefferson’s bedchamber as he knew it.

The alcove bed divides Jefferson’s chamber in half, with floor to ceiling walls at the foot and head of the bed. The walls faced doorways to the stair pavilion and dining room.

There were two bed alcoves at Poplar Forest. One was in Jefferson’s chamber, the other was built in the east room where occasional guests and family stayed.

The restoration team knew where to place the bed because of architectural evidence known as a ghost mark. In this case, the team could determine where the alcove structure joined the brick wall because of two strips of brick bare of plaster above the bedroom door.   As Jefferson’s workmen did in 1808 after constructing the wood framing of the alcove walls, the restoration craftsmen placed brick and mortar between each stud of the vertical walls. The bricknogging served as fireproofing.

Photo at left shows the bed  frame before plastering;  image above shows it after  plastering was completed.

Travis McDonald, director of architectural restoration, says that while space above Jefferson’s bed alcove at Monticello served as a closet, at Poplar Forest it most likely provided access to the attic through a trap door and ladder. The joists were farther apart within this space to accommodate a ladder and documents indicate there were two trap doors.

Jefferson discovered alcove beds in France when he was posted there to represent the United States. Many times the alcove beds were recessed into the wall, but sometimes they divided two rooms, such as a bedchamber and a dressing room. They were considered space-saving devices.

Jefferson’s preference for bed alcoves likely stemmed from two reasons. Jefferson thought that bedsteads (like staircases) took up too much space. Additionally, the alcove’s design lessened the impact of hot and cold weather. In the summer, the doors at each end of the alcove could be closed to force any breeze through the alcove and over the bed. In winter the brick-filled walls at each end helped insulate the space and curtains drawn across the opening protected against drafts.