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The visionary design can be discerned
despite the ruinous inroads time has inflicted on Poplar Forest,
Jefferson's country retreat, 70 miles south of Monticello just outside
Lynchburg. Restoration work still continues on the masterpiece Jefferson
created at the peak of his architectural maturity.
Jefferson acquired the land through his
wife, Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson, whose father owned the Lynchburg
acreage. Jefferson designed the house as an escape from the crush of visitors
that engulfed him at Monticello. Based on a Palladian plan, the house has four
equal octagonal rooms grouped around a square dining room with an overhead
skylight. It was the first octagonal residence in the New World.
Work on Poplar Forest began in 1806, and in
1812 Jefferson said, "When finished, it will be the best dwelling house in the
state, except that of Monticello; perhaps preferable to that, as more
proportioned to the faculties of a private citizen."
You can imagine Jefferson reading in the
bright, airy rooms. Today, Jefferson's private sanctuary where he said he
enjoyed the "solitude of a hermit," is open to the public. Hours are 10:00 A.M.
to 4:00 P.M. from April through November, Wednesday through Sunday. Closed on
Thanksgiving. Group tours by appointment year-round; call (804) 525-1806.
When Jefferson traveled to Poplar Forest he
often stopped for a visit at the Miller-Claytor House. You can add this
stop to your outing. This modest house was the fourth house built in 1791 in
the new town of Lynchburg. Legend has it that on one of Jefferson's visits he
took a bite of a "love apple" growing in the yard. It is believed to be the
first time that a tomato, generally considered poisonous, was eaten in this part
of the country.
The Miller-Claytor House at Miller-Claytor
Lane and Treasure Island Road in Riverside Park is open May through September,
Thursday through Monday, from 1:00 to 4:00 P.M. To arrange a tour, call (804)
847-1459. There are 12 sites of interest along Rivermont Avenue. They include
richly embellished private residences, Randolph-Macon Women's College and the
Centenary United Methodist Church. Architecture runs the gamut from Beaux Arts
to a Swiss Chalet style with Queen Anne influence.
Directions; From I-95 in the Richmond area
take Route 360 southwest to Burkeville, then take Route 460 to Lynchburg. Or
take I-64 west to Charlottesville, then Route 29 south to Lynchburg. The
visitor center is at 12th and Church streets.
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