Poplar Forest

This is Poplar Forest. It was Thomas Jefferson's sanctuary. He would come here to get away from all the demands of home, work, and politics. It only has two bedrooms because he very seldom brought family or entertained while he was here. I don't know if it is easy to tell from the picture, but the house is shaped like a octagon. All the bricks and columns were made by a slave brought in from Monticello.

This is the front drive. Can't you just imagine him riding up in this circular drive on his favorite horse? The footman or a stable boy would be ready to take his horse. Then, he would stride up the steps and enter his shelter from the rest of the world. (Of course, the servants were all slaves. But, that ruins the romance of my little imagined scenario.)

Jess was very interested in the outhouses. (They called them necessaries.) There are two of them. One on each side of the house. They are made of the same bricks as the house.

A Little side note:

After sitting in and rummaging around this outhouse, Jesse had a slight case of diarrhea. We decided it was The Curse of Thomas Jefferson's Toilet!

This is one of six 300 year old poplars in front of the house. These trees are older than any structure on the property.

One of the old poplars. I thought it was beautiful.