On Wednesday, October 21^st, Jack Gary, Director of Archaeology and Landscapes at Poplar Forest, will present a lecture at Lynchburg College about the natural, plantation, and ornamental landscapes of Jefferson’s Bedford County retreat. The program, Reconstructing Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest Landscape, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Sydnor Performance Hall and is free and open to the public. A reception will follow the lecture.

The lecture is presented as part of Virginia Archaeology Month, organized each October by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. The month is celebrated with events at libraries, museums, historical societies, clubs, and on active archaeological sites. This year’s theme is “Seeds of a Nation.”

“The landscapes of Poplar Forest, and really all of Central Virginia, have changed significantly in the last 200 years. Through our archaeological research at Poplar Forest we are able to understand, envision, and recreate these landscapes.  From examining pollen grains and chemicals trapped in the soil, to studying historic plantation maps and documents, to excavating the remains of shrubs Jefferson planted, our interdisciplinary approach can tell us what the plantation, forests, and gardens actually looked like 200 years ago.”

The lecture is co-sponsored by Poplar Forest and the John M. Turner Endowment in the Humanities at Lynchburg College.

Poplar Forest is Thomas Jefferson's retreat home and Bedford County plantation. Jefferson designed the octagonal house and portions of the ornamental landscape during his second term as President of the United States and sojourned here in his retirement to find rest and leisure, spend time with his grandchildren and rekindle his creativity. Archaeology is ongoing at Poplar Forest with a full-time staff of professional archaeologists. Excavations and research provide insight into the lives of the slaves that once lived on the plantation, new information about how the plantation actually operated, and important details about Jefferson’s design for the landscape of his personal retreat.

The space Jefferson organized at the heart of his plantation consisted of 61 acres and held the house and ornamental grounds, as well as orchards, gardens and support buildings. In this space, called the “curtilage,” he blended ornamental and functional elements in the tradition of Roman villas.

Most of Jefferson’s retreat landscape and farm landscape has vanished visually. A few maps survive of part of the farm, but no Jefferson-era drawings of the designed retreat grounds are known to exist. While Jefferson’s records, planting memoranda and letters provide many clues, it is through extensive excavating and lab analysis that archaeologists are developing a more complete picture of the gardens, grounds, and farm. As these features come into sharper focus, they can begin to be restored.

This summer, the split-rail fence that separated the private retreat from the plantation was replicated on the parts of the curtilage land acquired so far by the nonprofit Corporation for Jefferson’s Poplar Forest.  GPS guided handheld tours were also introduced to more fully interpret the landscape for visitors.

Lecture: "Reconstructing Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest Landscape"

Wednesday, October 21^st at 7:30 pm

Jack Gary, Director of Archaeology and Landscapes, Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest

Lecture will take place at Lynchburg College in the Sydnor Performance Hall, Elliot & Rosel Schewel Hall.
The lecture is generously sponsored by the John M. Turner Lecture in the Humanities.

About Poplar Forest

Poplar Forest is Thomas Jefferson's secluded plantation and retreat home. Poplar Forest is a National Historic Landmark that recently was added to the U.S. nomination list to become a World Heritage Site. Exhibiting award-winning restoration and archaeology, Poplar Forest offers tours, special events and school outreach programs. Open April through November, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, except Tuesday and Thanksgiving Day (closed). For more information about Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest and the 200th Anniversary, call (434) 525-1806 or visit www.poplarforest.org. 

About Lynchburg College

Lynchburg College is a four-year private college in central Virginia enrolling 2,600 students in liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional and graduate studies. For more information, check: www.lynchburg.edu.

###