The recent discovery of two important archaeological sites at Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest is highlighted in a new booklet published by the Department of Archaeology and Landscapes called “Culture of the Earth: The Archaeology of the Ornamental Plant Nursery and an Antebellum Slave Cabin at Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest.”
In recent years, a combination of excavations, laboratory analyses and specialized studies have located Thomas Jefferson's ornamental plant nursery and a mid-19th century slave cabin that stoodnearby.
Jefferson established a nursery around 1811 in order to raise the plants needed to create the ornamental grounds around the retreat house at Poplar Forest; however, no specific location for this site was ever noted in historic documents.
Similarly, in the years after Jefferson's death, numerous slave log cabins were built by the Cobbs and Hutter families, yet their precise locations were not known.
This booklet provides an overview of how these sites have been found, what types of artifacts were re-covered, how Poplar Forest archaeologists have gained new information about Jefferson's attempts to create an ornamental landscape at Poplar Forest, as well as how the conditions of slavery changed in the years leading up to emancipation.
The “Culture of the Earth” publication is the result of a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services.
For more information, including how to download a PDF copy of the booklet, visit htp://www.poplarforest.org.
Printed copies are available for $2.95 each by calling the Poplar Forest Museum Shop, (434) 534-8120.
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