By: Ashleigh Meyer / Photos Courtesy: Poplar Forest
When we think about archaeology, most of us probably have a similar image come to mind: Sand swept deserts, long-buried pottery, delicate bones. At Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, archaeology is paramount to the preservation and restoration efforts of the property, but it often takes on an unexpected appearance.
Dr. Eric Proebsting has been a key part of the archaeological efforts at Poplar Forest since 2008. Much of his attention has focused on reconstructing Jefferson’s original landscape. Proebsting and a team of six other archaeologists slowly uncover layers of earth looking for evidence that they have reached the Jefferson-era. But they rarely uncover large artifacts. Instead, subtle clues in the soil tell them when they have hit their mark. Changes in soil color and density reveal long hidden planting sites. Plate fragments and other sundries once tossed out a kitchen window to the compost help to date the dig location.
Even the Jefferson layer itself reveals that the president tinkered with his design plan, making changes as the Virginia climate rejected his original vision or he didn’t like the way something looked.
In true Jeffersonian fashion, science and technology play a key role in rediscovering the original landscape. Phytoliths are trace minerals left over in decaying plant material that reveal important information about grass types, specifically if a grass preferred shade or sun. Through the study of these phytoliths, Proebsting’s team has been able to identify where clumps of trees were once planted. Pollen testing can give us clues about environmental changes and planting sites, and in the case of Poplar Forest, trace amounts of mulberry pollen were discovered in the archaeological layer, pointing to the species that had been planted there which was echoed in Jefferson’s own notes.
The property, once around 5,000 acres in size, was meticulously designed by Jefferson to serve as both a productive agricultural plantation, and as a retreat where he could clear his mind, collect his thoughts and enjoy intellectual pursuits. He was influenced heavily by the large, grandiose English gardens that he witnessed during his travels with John Adams, as well as contemporary landscape design. A shift had occurred by the end of the 18th century as designers turned from the rigid, symmetrical layouts that were popular previously and started creating spaces that reflected a more natural landscape. Observers can see Jefferson balancing these two ideals in his own plans for Poplar Forest.
A ten-acre square around the octagonal Retreat House was reserved for ornamental plantings where Jefferson explored his interest in landscape design. While Jefferson was the visionary, it was enslaved labor that brought it to life. Even while Jefferson was away at Monticello, traveling abroad, or otherwise absent, work on Poplar Forest continued in accordance with his design. The cobblestone carriage circle at the front of the retreat house was hand-dug and laboriously laid with stone, as revealed by the original road surface which had been excavated as part of the archaeological work on the property. Thanks to generous support from the Garden Club of Virginia, the original Jefferson-era road is protected under a new cobbled surface and a viewing box allows visitors to see underground, into the original cobbles.
While there is not an overabundance of source material to draw from, Jefferson did keep some notes on his landscape plans for Poplar Forest. We know that oval-shaped beds were placed on both sides of the north lawn of the retreat house, as well as directly in front of the home. During Proebsting’s excavation of the front lawn, archaeologists were able to identify the outline of the oval beds, as well as the remnants of planting holes where roses were once grown. Drawing on the gardening books known to be in Jefferson’s library, as well as what was planted at Monticello and accessible to the Poplar Forest plantation, antique roses were replanted in the oval beds and have now grown to be about the size that Jefferson likely would have seen during his lifetime.
Considerable work has been done to restore the double row of paper mulberry trees on the west side of the house, which would have provided shade to the porch as well as visual intrigue. Among other things, the particular species speaks to Jefferson’s interest in studying plantlife across the globe and bringing it home to test in the Virginia soil.
The clumps of trees near the front of the home have also been a large part of the archaeological restoration and reveal an intriguing fact about the third president. In 1812, Jefferson ordered four clumps of trees to be planted at the corners of the house. Species included black locust, tulip poplar, redbud, dogwood, and calycanthus shrubs, among others. The intention was for it to appear very natural, in keeping with the modern design ideas of his time. However, also in the same month it is noted that Jefferson borrowed a surveyors chain from a neighbor; a 66-foot length of chain used for mapping purposes. Despite his plan to make the tree clumps appear very natural, the trees are spaced at a precise 33-foot distance from one end to the other. He never could completely shake his love for symmetry, mathematics, and geometry.
His interest in Palladian symmetry served to create one of the largest and most noticeable geographic features on the property which remain clearly visible today. Two large mounds flank the east and west sides of the house, creating a sort-of visual frame and uniting the ornamental grounds with the built architecture. The dirt to create the mounds was removed from the south side of the house, where a large sunken lawn also creates visual intrigue. Archaeological investigation has suggested that the lawn was planted with geometric rows of shrubs and ornamental trees, while the mounds were adorned with willow trees and aspen to create an almost Greco-Roman oasis.
The digging of the rear lawn was carried out by enslaved laborers, with an enslaved man named Phill Hubbard leading the project. Hubbard had been born at Poplar Forest and often travelled back and forth from Monticello to work on various projects at both estates. Jefferson had inherited 11 enslaved individuals along with the property in 1773, and the number grew to just below 100, with the population ebbing and flowing over the course of his lifetime. In addition to bringing Jefferson’s ornamental vision to life, these enslaved individuals also labored in the agricultural fields. A project on the horizon for 2026 is the excavation of one of the quarters where enslaved people lived on the property, including their subsistence gardens, fence lines, and other archaeological data.
Restoring the landscape to its original grandeur is interesting and inspiring, and reveals a lot about Jefferson’s thought process and mind. However, Dr. Proebsting and the whole team at Poplar Forest is driven by more than a desire to create a beautiful landscape.
“It’s about people,” he said. “About all the people who lived here at Poplar Forest.”
His ultimate vision is to draw connections between modern day visitors and the folks who lived, worked and died on the grounds. With little written record of their day-to-day lives, archaeology is the looking glass that allows us to peer into the past and set our eyes on the actual evidence that remains of their lives and legacies, even if it is sometimes as quiet as a whisper, or as delicate as a change in the color of the earth.
