Into the Forest

“I predict future happiness for Americans, if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” Thomas Jefferson

 

 “Thomas Jefferson once said, ‘We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.’ And ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying.” Ronald Reagan

As the end of summer approaches, a quick journey to Forest, Virginia allowed us to visit the craft show at the Forest United Methodist Church.

Wood turning artisan, Gary Charles Evans, displayed his wares, including not only his Appalachian Wedding bowls, but also Montebello Apple Butter.

Strolling from downtown Forest to Thomas Jefferson’s vacation home, Poplar Forest takes about an hour.

The Forest Volunteer Fire Department, immediately generated building envy.

The only wildlife encounter of the day looked a tad distressed.

Jefferson Villas sits at the intersection of Jefferson Way and Thomas Jefferson Road, in this very Jefferson themed community.

 

The residential neighbor retained its treed history.

Jefferson designed his second home here at Poplar Forest with construction staring in 1806, three years before the end of his Presidency. https://www.poplarforest.org/

Poplar Forest borders the Poplar Forest Golf Course

The restoration of the octagonal, neoclassical home did not begin until 1984 and it is now a designated National Historic Landmark. In 1781, when Jefferson served as the Virginia Governor, the British attempted to capture him as he resided in Monticello. He retreated to Poplar Forest to avoid them with only an hour or two to spare. Poplar Forest lies 80 miles southwest of Monticello.

 

 

 

 

Smoke’em if you got’em?

According to the Smithsonian Magazine, by 1789, Jefferson planned to shift away from growing tobacco at Monticello, whose cultivation he described as “a culture of infinite wretchedness.” Tobacco wore out the soil so fast that new acreage constantly had to be cleared, engrossing so much land that food could not be raised to feed the workers and requiring the farmer to purchase rations for the slaves. (In a strangely modern twist, Jefferson had taken note of the measurable climate change in the region: The Chesapeake region was unmistakably cooling and becoming inhospitable to heat-loving tobacco that would soon, he thought, become the staple of South Carolina and Georgia.) He visited farms and inspected equipment, considering a new crop, wheat, and the exciting prospect it opened before him.

 As a non profit organization owns Poplar Forest, their funds are limited, and the restoration work moves slowly. Guided tours provide detailed information of the rather obscure property.