Slavery research at Poplar Forest shows contradiction of Jefferson

Justin Faulconer
Before archaeological work began at present-day Poplar Forest to probe the history of Thomas Jefferson’s retreat home, digging was common among the Bedford County plantation’s slave inhabitants.

With space scarce within their overcrowded quarters, Jefferson’s slaves would dig into the dirt floors to carve out pits for themselves. They stored personal belongings and food in the pits and hundreds of artifacts such as glass beads, marbles, buttons, rings and jewelry have been found in recent years.

The nonprofit corporation that operates Poplar Forest touts Jefferson’s legacy and roles as president, founding father, writer, public servant and farmer. Slave owner is a distinction that cannot be ignored.

“It’s part of the interpretation,” said Jack Gary, director of archaeology at the historic site. “We studied slavery from when it started here back in the 1760s all the way up to Emancipation. So we’ve got a hundred years of slavery here on the property that we try to understand.”

Historians still examine the contradiction of Jefferson, who wrote in the Declaration of Independence, “all men are created equal,” and yet owned slaves.

A new exhibit, “Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello: Paradox of Liberty,” opened last month at the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington D.C. It offers a look at Jefferson’s Monticello plantation through the lives of six slave families and artifacts unearthed from where they lived. Monticello also opened a new exhibit this month on slavery at the site's Mulberry Row to bring stories of the slaves and freemen who lived and worked on Jefferson's 5,000-acre plantation.

At Poplar Forest, which opens for the season next month, understanding the culture and life of the slaves on the site is important to capture, Gary said, but often challenging to do with few records and writings to draw from. Structures where they lived during Jefferson’s 53 years of ownership also are gone.

“The only way to understand them is to look at the things they left behind,” Gary said. “And the only way to do that is through archaeology.”

Archeological research has revealed the size and layout of four slave cabins that once stood on the plantation during Jefferson’s ownership, types of belongings, the food they ate and their activities of home life. Gary said the slave history is included in a GPS-guided tour for visitors.

Jefferson owned hundreds of slaves in his lifetime, many located at his estate in Monticello. Paid overseers tended to Poplar Forest, which Jefferson inherited from his father-in-law, and slaves would often appeal to him if they felt they were mistreated, according to staff.

Slave labor on site included fieldwork, tending to livestock, making brick and masonry and weaving. Others did work in the octagonal home and Jefferson sent some boys and girls to Monticello to learn a trade.

Jefferson was many times absent from the property, but was familiar with slaves and what they did, Gary said, explaining that he often bought poultry that they produced.

“He knew the heads of households,” Gary said. “There was definitely a personal connection.”

Staff has also explored the slave history on site in the post-Jefferson years, when a new family took over. There are two structures built for slaves and an overseer prior to the Civil War that are now used for offices, he said.

Lori Lee, archaeology lab supervisor, said excavations will continue this summer around antebellum slave cabins that now serve as offices. Staff is also studying African-American life on the property post-Emancipation to the years before the nonprofit assumed ownership.

"It was part of everyday life," Lee said of slavery on site. "We would like to learn more and have information for people looking for family connections."

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