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Upcoming Events

6 events found.

Sep 11

African American Family History Day—RESCHEDULED

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Sep 11

Stargazing

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Sep 17

Naturalization Ceremony-CANCELED

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Sep 23

Pilates at Poplar Forest

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Sep 25

Jefferson & Douglass, A Conversation- RESCHEDULED

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Oct 8

Archaeology Behind-the-Scenes Tours

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Edward Ayers (Moderator)

Edward L. Ayers is Tucker-Boatwright Professor of the Humanities and president emeritus at the University of Richmond. Dr. Ayers has been named National Professor of the Year, received the National Humanities Medal from President Obama at the White House, was a finalist for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, and won the Bancroft Prize for distinguished writing in American history. Ayers is one of the co-hosts for BackStory, a popular podcast about American history. His newest book, The Thin Light of Freedom: The Civil War and Emancipation in the Heart of America, will be published this fall.

Calder Loth

Calder Loth is the Senior Architectural Historian of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. He is Co-President of the Center of Palladian Studies in America, a member of the Virginia State Art and Architectural Review Board, and member of the Board of Trustees of Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest. He also teaches architectural literacy for the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art in New York. In 2008 he received the first Secretary of the Interior’s Award for service to state preservation programs. His publications include The Virginia Landmarks Register and Virginia Landmarks of Black History. 

Joseph McGill

A descendant of slaves, Joseph McGill founded the Slave Dwelling Project to ensure the preservation of slave dwellings in the United States. For years he worked for the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Charleston, South Carolina, by day, and spent his weekends as a Civil War re-enactor, wearing the uniform of the 54th Massachusetts, the black unit featured in the movie Glory. Re-enacting the 54th helped draw public attention to the pivotal role of black soldiers in the Civil War. So in 2010 when the Magnolia Plantation near Charleston sought to publicize the restoration of its neglected slave cabins, he proposed sleeping in one of them. Since then, he has spent nights in over 80 slave dwellings in 17 states.

"Multiplied testimony, multiplied views will be necessary to give solid establishment to truth. Much is known to one which is not known to another, and no one knows everything. It is the sum of individual knowledge which is to make up the whole truth, and to give its correct current thro' future time."
Thomas Jefferson, 1823

Visit Poplar Forest

Poplar Forest is open daily mid-January through February 10am-4pm, March through November 10am-5pm, and December 1st through 30th from 10am-4pm for docent-guided or self-guided tours. Docent-guided tours are currently offered four times daily as docents are available. Poplar Forest is closed on Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.

Mapping Address 1776 Poplar Forest Parkway
Lynchburg, VA 24502
Mailing Address P.O. Box 419
Forest, VA 24551-0419
434.525.1806
Contact Us

Mid January – February
10 am – 4 pm

March – November
10 am – 5 pm

December
10 am – 4 pm

Designated a National Historic Landmark, Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest is an award-winning historic restoration in progress, nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visiting Poplar Forest offers a unique opportunity to hear the stories of Jefferson's family, the free and enslaved craftsmen who built the historic masterpiece and the enslaved people who lived and labored on the plantation. Come explore the world of Thomas Jefferson at his most private retreat.

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The Corporation for Jefferson's Poplar Forest is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization registered in the US under EIN: 54-1258296.

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