Jefferson's Poplar Forest: Unearthing a Virginia Plantation, Edited by Barbara J. Heath and Jack Gary
To the extent that he was able to do so, Jefferson surrounded himself at Poplar Forest with the themes, landscapes, architecture, imagery, and people that were important to him. —Jack Gary
I don't often read nonfiction, in general, but even more rarely do I read historical nonfiction about plantation archaeology as studied through the unearthed history of Jefferson's Poplar Forest . But my parents recently visited Jefferson's Poplar Forest when they went down to Virginia to see my sister become a doctor, and when they got home they gifted me this book, so I had to squeeze it in immediately so it wouldn't get lost in my bookshelf (without exaggeration, I still have unread books that I bought from Borders back in 2006-2009).
This book is an academic—it's dry, folks... very dry—exploration of the archaeological significance of Jefferson's Poplar Forest, both in the years of Jefferson and beyond. Unfortunately, it can—at times—seem manipulative in its approach to its topics, thus reading more like a grant proposal than anything else—a flaw that's most evident in Chapters 2 & 10, written by Barbara J. Heath & Stephen A. Mrozowski, respectively. I'll be completely honest, some stretches—especially those written by Heath (Sorry.)—found me skimming, here and there. However, when it's interesting, it's extremely interesting... Because I'm an architecture and landscape history dork, apparently??
Chapters 3-5, written by Eric Proebsting, Timothy Trussell & Jack Gary, respectively—covering Community Life, the Landscape Design of Poplar Forest, and Jefferson's Aesthetic Philosophy as understood through unearthed ceramics on the plantation—are especially fascinating, and give great insight into Jefferson's vision for Poplar Forest in his retirement. Chapters 8 & 9, written by Jessica Bowes and Heather Trigg & Lori Lee, respectively—which delve into the lives of the slaves who lived at Poplar Forest, their Use of Plants, and their Consumerism and Social Relations—give an eye-opening look into the inner lives of slaves in the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries, but are ultimately just too broad and rambling in their approach. Everything else is successful in its undoubtedly passionate, incredibly well-researched and informative study of plantation archaeology, but—for someone like me, at least—too often let their focus stray from the aspects of Poplar Forest's history about which I actually have any interest in learning.
They're right, though, archaeological studies like those at Jefferson's Poplar Forest and other similar historical sites are important.
But Jefferson was not the only person to contribute to the history of Poplar Forest; he was not its only founding father. —Stephen A. Mrozowski
