Poplar Forest - Lynchburg

Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest is located on Bateman Bridge Road in Forest, Virginia.  Originally a plantation of about thirty slaves, the land was willed to Jefferson by his father-in-law in 1793.  He only made sporadic visits to the plantation over the next several years, but it was during his final visit, well into his second term as president, that he envisioned the area as an ideal spot for a retreat.  Construction to Jefferson's specifics began in 1806 and ended in 1809.  The resulting octagonal building followed closely Jefferson's appreciation for european architecture, with a new world slant, which made all the structures he designed uniquely American.  The former president visited the plantation several times a year until 1823, when his grandson Francis Eppes moved into the property.  Frances and his wife lived here until 1828, when the property was sold at a cheap price to William Cobbs and the slave community was dispersed.  Cobbs was living in the house in 1845, along with his daughter Emma and son-in-law Edward Sixtus Hutter, when a fire broke out and gutted most of the dwelling.  During the repairs much of the house was altered from Jefferson's original design to reflect a more contemporary Greek Revival style.  Ceilings were lowered, staircases added, windows were boarded up in some areas and added to others, a wing was removed, and new outhouses were built.  The Hutter family owned the property for 118 years, until 1946, when Edward's son, Christian, sold the land to Lynchburg attorney James O. Watts, Jr.  Over the years Watts maded his own changes to the house, restoring some of the windows and trim, while also adding electricity and modern plumbing.  He also parceled out land from the once 4,000 acre plantation.  The last 50 acres, including the home, were unoccupied by the mid-1980's and were spared the wrecking ball by a preservationist group called the Corporation For Jefferson's Poplar Forest.  The house was opened to the public in 1986 and has been undergoing restoration almost continuously since then. 

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