Forest offers two distinct paths to a culturally and historically focused stay: Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest and New London Academy. At Poplar Forest, the focus is on the building’s history, a restoration and research program, and interpretation of the plantation’s history. New London Academy offers a different perspective: its institutional history, a Greek Revival-style building, and a museum dedicated to the history of the school. For travelers who would like to combine their stay with cultural history, these offer two clearly distinct areas of interest.
Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest: Building History and Interpretation
Construction of Poplar Forest began in 1806 and was complete by the time of Thomas Jefferson’s death in 1826. The site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971. A visit can therefore explore both the building’s origins and its later designation. The dates mark different milestones: 1806 and 1826 belong to the construction period, while 1971 marks its designation as a National Historic Landmark.
Since 1983, the Corporation for Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest has been developing Poplar Forest as a historic site and house museum through a program of restoration and research. The timeline thus extends beyond the building’s construction and designation to include long-term institutional work at the site. For travelers interested in the restoration and research of historic sites, this development is a distinct aspect beyond the earlier dates.
During visits to Poplar Forest, stories are shared about Jefferson’s family, as well as the free and enslaved artisans who built the historic structure and the enslaved people who lived and worked on the plantation. The account identifies different roles: artisans contributed to the construction, while other enslaved people are included through the stories of their lives and work on the plantation. As you explore the site’s history, you can consider not only the building’s history but also the experiences and work of the people whose stories are told.
New London Academy: Institution, Architecture, and Museum
New London Academy was founded in 1795. It is the only public secondary school in Virginia operating under a charter from the General Assembly. Its founding story is thus connected to a distinctive institutional status within Virginia. This offers a different perspective from the architectural and plantation history of Poplar Forest: at the Academy, the focus is on an educational institution and its history.
The Academy’s oldest building was constructed between 1837 and 1839 and is designed in the Greek Revival style. The founding year and the construction period therefore mark different points in the school’s history: the first date refers to the institution’s founding, and the later dates to its oldest building. Greek Revival is an architectural movement that draws on forms from ancient Greece. The style offers an architectural perspective alongside the institution’s timeline. When choosing between these topics, you can consider whether you are more interested in the development of the educational institution or the architecture of its oldest building.
The grounds of New London Academy also include an original kitchen outbuilding that is now used as a museum about the Academy’s history. The building’s original function as a kitchen and its current use as a museum are clearly connected. The outbuilding adds another structure with its own history of use to the story of the Academy, linking its original function to the interpretation of the school’s history.
Discover more destinations: Montvale, Moneta, Goode, Bedford.
See the broader travel guide: Bedford County.
