Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 05/13/1969
NRHP Listing Date 11/12/1969
NHL Listing Date 11/11/1971
NRHP Reference Number 69000223
“The best dwelling house in the state” is how Thomas Jefferson described his Bedford County hermitage. Begun in 1806 on land inherited from his wife, and completed by his death in 1826, this unique work demonstrates Jefferson’s fascination with octagons. Its form is octagonal, three major rooms are elongated octagons, and the privies, tucked behind earthen mounds, are miniature domed octagons. The house was set in an elaborate villa landscape at the heart of a 4800-acre plantation. Jefferson escaped the bustle of Monticello by visiting Poplar Forest several times a year. Here he found the peace to think, to study, and to read. Following a fire in 1845, the house was rebuilt within its walls. It remained a private residence until the 1980s. In 1984 it was purchased by the Corporation for Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, which oversaw a meticulous restoration to Jefferson’s original design.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: January 30, 2020
