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Thomas Jefferson’s Life & Times

Explore the personality, the talents and the contradictions of one of history’s towering figures at Poplar Forest.

Discover the Unknown Jefferson at Poplar Forest

If you know Thomas Jefferson for the Declaration of Independence but little else, you are perfectly poised to explore a truly extraordinary, enduring American legacy. As a statesman, he was without peer; as a slave-owner, he was not without faults.

Thomas Jefferson

He was our first Secretary of State, our second Vice President and the third president of our young nation. But there’s no doubt that there’s still much to be learned about Thomas Jefferson.

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The Enslaved People of Poplar Forest

Poplar Forest is committed to telling the full story of life at Jefferson’s retreat home, including the immeasurable contributions of the enslaved community.

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Explore Deeper

History of the Retreat
Plantation Community
Jefferson's Landscape Design
Architecture at Poplar Forest