Object Details
- General
- Situated between Lynchburg and Bedford, Virginia, Poplar Forest was a nearly 5,000-acre plantation inherited by Thomas Jefferson and his wife Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson from her father, John Wayles, in 1773. Martha Jefferson died in 1782, and it was only in 1806 that Thomas Jefferson began to design and build the Palladian-influenced house and gardens that still exist today. Serving as a retirement retreat during Jefferson's lifetime, the property was sold in 1828, two years after his death. It remained in private ownership until 1983, when a nonprofit corporation acquired it and began a process of archaeological and documentary research leading to its ongoing restoration. Jefferson's landscape design featured a circular road lined by paper mulberry trees, earthen mounds flanking the house, oval shrub beds, and a sunken lawn. Native trees, such as the tulip poplars from which the property takes its name (several of which survive from Jefferson's time), were planted throughout the grounds. The three images in the Archives of American Gardens' collection document the property at the time when it was still a private residence owned by the Hutter family and somewhat altered from Jefferson's original design. In addition, land sales over the years have reduced the size of the property to a mere fraction of its original size.
- Persons associated with the property include Thomas Jefferson (architect, landscape architect, former owner, 1773-1826); Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson (former owner, 1773-1782); the Hutter family (former owners, ca. 1828-1946); and Mr. and Mrs. James O. Watts, Jr. (former owners, 1946-1983).
- Architect
- Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826
- Landscape architect
- Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826
- Former owner
- Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826
- Jefferson, Martha Wayles Skelton, 1748-1782
- Hutter family
- Watts, James O., Jr. Mr. Mrs.
- Collection Creator
- Garden Club of America
- Place
- Poplar Forest (Forest, Virginia)
- United States of America -- Virginia -- Bedford County -- Forest
- Topic
- Gardens -- Virginia -- Forest
- Architect
- Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826
- Landscape architect
- Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826
- Former owner
- Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826
- Jefferson, Martha Wayles Skelton, 1748-1782
- Hutter family
- Watts, James O., Jr. Mr. Mrs.
- See more items in
- The Garden Club of America collection
- The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Gardens / Virginia
- Sponsor
- A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Gardens
- Identifier
- AAG.GCA, File VA068
- Type
- Archival materials
- Collection Citation
- Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
- Collection Rights
- Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
- Bibliography
- Garden has been featured in Alice G. B. Lockwood, Gardens of Colony and State (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons for the Garden Club of America, 1934), p. 74. Garden has been featured in Frieda Meredith Dietz, Photographic Studies of Old Virginia Homes & Gardens (Richmond: Dietz Press, 1953), p. 61. Garden has been featured in Frances Archer Christian, Susanne Williams Massie, et al., Homes and Gardens in Old Virginia (Richmond: Garret and Massie, 1962), pp. 499-501. Garden has been featured in Roger G. Kennedy, "Poplar Forest--Jefferson's Quest for a True American Architecture," Architectural Digest, May 1992, pp. 24-30. Garden has been featured in Ken Ringle, "The Genius of Poplar Forest," The Washington Post, November 5, 1992, p. 14+. Garden has been featured in Wayne Fields, "Jefferson's Second Home," American Heritage, Vol. 44, No. 2 (April 1993), pp.104-113. Garden has been featured in Dale Mackenzie Brown, "Jefferson's Other Home," House Beautiful, Vol. 139, No. 12 (December 1997), pp. 48-50+.
- Scope and Contents
- The folder includes worksheets, photocopies of articles about the site, site plans, brochures, and additional information about the house and garden.
- Collection Restrictions
- Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
- Record ID
- ebl-1643208220039-1643210187931-2
