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NEW REPRODUCTIONS HELP DOCUMENT WHAT LIFE WAS LIKE A
POPLAR FOREST
Poplar Forest Newsletter, Spring 2003
Thanks to the generosity of Poplar Forest supporters skilled in woodworking,
Poplar Forest has three new reproductions that will be displayed at various
times in the house to illustrate aspects of Jefferson’s living at Poplar
Forest.
Reproductions of Jefferson's polygraph and
revolving table. |
Scheduled to be on view first
is a reproduction of the traveling version of a polygraph, the
twin-penned device that Jefferson would bring to Poplar Forest so that
he could continue his practice of copying his correspondence. This exact
reproduction was made by Norman Lamonde of Boston, who had already
crafted for Poplar Forest a slightly modified replica that is more
durable for the heavy use in the Hands-on History pavilion.
The polygraph will sit on a reproduction of a revolving table that
was originally at Poplar Forest. Colonial Woodworkers of Connecticut
donated the table, made by Tom Giordano with wood donated by Keiver-Willard
Lumber Corp.of Massachusetts. Colonial Woodworkers is headed by Rick
Krynick, who volunteers his carpentry skills for Poplar Forest
restoration work several times a year. |
| A third reproduction was made
by retired physician, Dr. Robert Glenn of Lynchburg, Virginia, who
crafted a copy of a dumbwaiter that Jefferson had used at Poplar Forest.
The original piece, now at Monticello, is a stationary dumbwaiter with
four shelves. It allowed Jefferson and his guests to eat in privacy
without the constant presence of servants. Jefferson had first come
across dumbwaiters in Paris when he served as minister to France. The
reproduction will be used for special interpretive exhibits, like the
dining display at last December’s Holiday Open House, to illustrate
how Jefferson’s household functioned and his penchant for innovation. |
Reproduction of Jefferson's dumbwaiter. |
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