Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest: A Home Away From Home

In this installment of ‘Larger Than Life: Architecture Through the Ages,’ we visit the third president’s retreat property.

Poplar Forest’s octagonal shape is most prominent from an aerial view. Balanced aesthetics are also evident in the four brick chimneys and placement of windows and columns. It appears as a one-story structure, but is actually two stories. Its roof is outlined by a railing supported by classic balustrades. On the slate roof is another crisscross-design railing protecting a skylight. Courtesy of Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest

One of the most recognizable homes in the United States, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello has welcomed over 25 million visitors since it opened as a museum in the early 1900s. Even when the third president and author of the Declaration of Independence was alive, his home often had a revolving door of visitors.

Lesser known is Jefferson’s retreat home. Called Poplar Forest, the Bedford County, Virginia residence is nearly 90 miles south of Monticello. Its 4,819-acre tract was once a functioning tobacco plantation, and the two-story brick house served as Jefferson’s hideaway and respite after he completed his presidential duties in 1809.