Forest in Bedford County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
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What happened to Poplar Forest after Jefferson's death?
Photographed By Michael C. Wilcox, October 1, 2016
1. What happened to Poplar Forest after Jefferson's death? Marker
Inscription.
What happened to Poplar Forest after Jefferson's death?. . Francis Eppes inherited the house and 1,074 acres following his grandfather's death. His cousin Thomas Jefferson Randolph sold the remainder of the estate to cover debts. The Eppes, Cobbs, Hutter and Watts families who lived at Poplar Forest in the 19th and 20th centuries made changes to the core landscape that are still visible today. They planted most of the surviving trees and shrubs and built many of the remaining structures. These include two brick tenant houses now used as offices (mid-19th century), the archaeology laboratory (1915), smokehouse (mid-20th century) and the museum shop (garage, mid-20th century). , Ongoing archaeological and historical research has identified sites of barns and slave quarters, necessary for a working farm. One such archaeological feature in this area is the sunken greenhouse, or "pit for flowers" as Edward Hutter called it. It was built adjacent to a kitchen garden in 1848 and was used as a nursery to start seedlings in the spring. Abandoned and filled with trash in the early 20th century, this site is one example of changes made at Poplar Forest after 1826. , , (Timeline:) , 1826 , Death of Jefferson , 1828 , Francis Eppes sells Poplar Forest to William Cobbs , 1840 , Emma Cobbs marries Edward S. Hutter , 1845 , Edward S. Hutter records: "Dwelling house destroyed by fire..." , Renovated in 1846 , 1848 , Hutter's Farm Journal entry: "built pit for flowers" , 1852 , William Cobbs dies, leaves plantation to Emma Cobbs Hutter , 1865 , Civil War ends , 1870 , Emma Cobbs Flutter dies , 1875 , Edward S. Hutter dies , 1877 , Marian Cobbs dies , 1889 , Christian S. Hutter acquires Poplar Forest, begins to run the farm and uses it as his summer home , c. 1900 , Pit for Flowers filled in , 1946 , Christian S. Hutter sells Poplar Forest to James Watts
Francis Eppes inherited the house and 1,074 acres following his grandfather's death. His cousin Thomas Jefferson Randolph sold the remainder of the estate to cover debts. The Eppes, Cobbs, Hutter and Watts families who lived at Poplar Forest in the 19th and 20th centuries made changes to the core landscape that are still visible today. They planted most of the surviving trees and shrubs and built many of the remaining structures. These include two brick tenant houses now used as offices (mid-19th century), the archaeology laboratory (1915), smokehouse (mid-20th century) and the museum shop (garage, mid-20th century).
Ongoing archaeological and historical research has identified sites of barns and slave quarters, necessary for a working farm. One such archaeological feature in this area is the sunken greenhouse, or "pit for flowers" as Edward Hutter called it. It was built adjacent to a kitchen garden in 1848 and was used as a nursery to start seedlings in the spring. Abandoned and filled with trash in the early 20th century, this site is one example of changes made at Poplar Forest after 1826.
(Timeline:)
1826
Death of Jefferson
1828
Francis Eppes sells Poplar Forest to William Cobbs
1840
Emma Cobbs marries Edward S. Hutter
1845
Edward
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S. Hutter records: "Dwelling house destroyed by fire..."
Renovated in 1846
1848
Hutter's Farm Journal entry: "built pit for flowers"
1852
William Cobbs dies, leaves plantation to Emma Cobbs Hutter
1865
Civil War ends
1870
Emma Cobbs Flutter dies
1875
Edward S. Hutter dies
1877
Marian Cobbs dies
1889
Christian S. Hutter acquires Poplar Forest, begins to run the farm and uses it as his summer home
c. 1900
Pit for Flowers filled in
1946
Christian S. Hutter sells Poplar Forest to James Watts
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 37° 20.844′ N, 79° 15.89′ W. Marker was in Forest, Virginia, in Bedford County. Marker could be reached from Bateman Bridge Road. Located on the grounds of Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Forest VA 24551, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. New Marker At This Location titled "Crafting a Masterpiece, Longing for Home".
Photographed By Michael C. Wilcox, October 1, 2016
3. What happened to Poplar Forest after Jefferson's death? Marker
Aerial photograph taken in 1955. Notice that many of the trees, buildings and other landscape features have been removed.
Photographed By Michael C. Wilcox, October 1, 2016
4. What happened to Poplar Forest after Jefferson's death? Marker
Illustration of a type of pit greenhouse, from C. M'Intosh The Book of the Garden, 1853
Photographed By Michael C. Wilcox, October 1, 2016
5. What happened to Poplar Forest after Jefferson's death? Marker
1989 Excavation of the Pit for Flowers
Photographed By Michael C. Wilcox, October 1, 2016
6. What happened to Poplar Forest after Jefferson's death? Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 19, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 19, 2016, by Michael C. Wilcox of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 445 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on November 19, 2016, by Michael C. Wilcox of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.