Exploring the Layers and Elements at the Center of Jefferson’s Retreat Landscape

Summary

Over the past seven years, archaeologists have examined three landscape elements that are central to the design of Jefferson’s Poplar Forest retreat. These include the rows of paper mulberries that flanked the house; the clumps of ornamental trees and oval-shaped flower beds located on the northern side of the structure; and the paved circular road that brought carriages to the steps of Jefferson’s octagonal retreat. This paper will discuss how soil studies have provided significant insight into the factors contributing toward the creation and appearance of these important parts of the Poplar Forest landscape. In particular, geochemistry and micromorphology have been used with success to shed new light on Jefferson’s ornamental design as well as the extensive work-related tasks carried out by enslaved laborers to transform a hilltop worn by decades of plantation agriculture into the center of Jefferson’s retirement landscape.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018   •
• Landscapes of Chesapeake Slavery

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 809