Winter a busy time at Poplar Forest
By Marcia Apperson
The News & Advance

FOREST - The gate to Poplar Forest is closed for the winter, but the staff isn't hibernating.

The house, Thomas Jefferson's retreat, closed Nov. 30 and will remain closed until April 1 except for group tours.

Those four months give workers a chance to concentrate on analyzing artifacts, researching information and writing reports.

"I'm going to be spending an awful lot of time in front of my computer," archaeology lab supervisor Heather Olson said.

During the summer, archaeologists at Poplar Forest can get outside and dig for artifacts. But that's just one part of the job.

The artifacts need to be washed, labeled, cataloged, analyzed and interpreted. The findings are used to identify trends and then prepared in reports and presentations.

Winter gives the archaeologists a chance to focus on the research and writing part of their job.

"This requires a good chunk of time to sit down and think about it and analyze it," Olson said.

Olson is currently looking at how much material relating to kitchen work has been found on the grounds. She is studying how the pieces are related and how the information compares to other archaeologists' research.

Randy Lichtenberger, field supervisor for the area near the house, will also spend the winter catching up on research and writing reports.

"With the way the season works here, we try to be outside when people are visiting and it's nice," Lichtenberger said. "Really, all of this stuff is piling up behind us. … It's almost, in some respects, a break in the summertime."

Back inside, Lichtenberger also reconstructs what the property was like during Jefferson's time.

For example, he will look at all the artifacts found from layers of the earth dating back to the 1850s. He can then get a broader view of the property.

"A lot of people think digging is it," Lichtenberger said. "That's not what we do."

The reports are used for various reasons. They are kept in a library at Poplar Forest, given to the Board of Directors and used for presentations at conferences.

Staff members at Poplar Forest are attending three conferences in four months in Alabama, Denver and Virginia Beach.

"We feel it is an important part of our job and important to Poplar Forest to get this information out to people," Olson said.

While the staff is busy analyzing and writing, they also spend the winter planning new exhibits and programs for when Poplar Forest reopens.

When visitors return in the spring, they can expect to see several changes and additions.

Masonry work on the service wing on the left side of the house is almost complete. Visitors can see carpenters framing the roof, finishing woodwork and putting on the deck.

The wing will not be open for visitors to walk through next year, but they can watch the progress. It should be complete in a couple years, Lichtenberger said.

Work on the circular road that possibly wrapped around the house during Jefferson's time will begin in the spring.

"Jefferson, we know, talks about having a circular road around the house," Lichtenberger said. "But we haven't verified its existence yet."

In one of his letters, Jefferson wrote about calculating how many paper mulberry trees it would take to plant in 20-foot intervals all the way around the road. The road possibly made a perfect circle with the house in the middle, Lichtenberger said.

Workers are going to strip off the gravel in a portion of the current road and use rock hammers to get down to the older surface.

A new pavilion should be built behind the archaeology building by spring. The pavilion is used for hands-on activities with students.

Exhibits will also be changed and updated.

But, for now, the staff is enjoying the quiet time to focus on research.

"It's going to go by really fast," Lichtenberger said.