"Of Use and Ornament": Completing the First Phase of Landscape Restoration at Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Current Research on Virginia Plantations: Reexamining Historic Landscapes" , at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

A key focus of the long-term archaeological work that has taken place at Poplar Forest has included developing a highly-detailed contextual understanding of Jefferson’s retreat home and plantation. Over the past decade, research and restoration efforts associated with the carriage circle, ornamental clumps of trees, and oval beds of flowers located in front of Jefferson’s retreat house have been central to these efforts. This paper explores several key aspects of the research, restoration, and interpretative work associated with these projects as the first phase of landscape restoration comes to completion. These efforts not only reveal fresh insights into Jefferson’s design for the ornamental landscape of his retreat, but also provide additional details associated with the history of the broader plantation and the lives of the enslaved community who lived and labored in the landscape of Poplar Forest.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Current Research on Virginia Plantations: Reexamining Historic Landscapes   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2022

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology