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Poplar Forest
Thomas Jefferson ’ s Virginia sanctuary
“ When finished , it will be the best dwelling house in the State , except that of Monticello ; perhaps preferable to that , as more proportioned to the faculties of a private citizen .” — Thomas Jefferson
words & photography by Kay & David Scott
A giant tulip poplar in front of the villa remains from the time of Jefferson ’ s residence .
Nearly a decade ago during a stay in Roanoke , Virginia , we learned of a villa designed , built and enjoyed by Thomas Jefferson during and following his presidency . We had previously visited Monticello , Jefferson ’ s primary home near Charlottesville , but had no idea he had designed and constructed a villa to occasionally escape Monticello ’ s commotion and seemingly endless stream of visitors . The following day we headed an hour east from Roanoke to visit Jefferson ’ s retreat , Poplar Forest .
Considerable work on the home was taking place at the time of our visit . While the exterior appeared in good condition , the interior had undergone extensive alteration by subsequent owners following Jefferson ’ s death and was in an intermediate stage of restoration . We found Poplar Forest and its history quite interesting and after returning home to South Georgia talked of someday returning to the historic villa . It wasn ’ t until this past June during a road trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway that we were able to connect again with Jefferson ’ s retreat .
The remote 4,819-acre plantation on which Jefferson would build his villa had been inherited by wife , Martha , at her father ’ s death in 1773 . At the time the plantation included 11 slaves and had been named for the numerous poplar trees in the surrounding forest .
Construction on the one-story villa was set in motion in 1805 , during the beginning of Jefferson ’ s second presidential term when he dispatched a Monticello employee to Poplar Forest to begin making bricks . At the time , Jefferson had been a widower for more than two decades . Actual construction atop a small hill commenced the following year with brick walls and roof framing completed in 1807 . Windows , floors , columns and privies were finished the following year , and Jefferson began using the home in 1809 , prior to its completion .
34 TiftonScene | SEPTEMBER 2022