In 1809, Thomas Jefferson retired from a long public life. Most people have little knowledge of what he did in that well-deserved retirement. Knowing that he could not get his essential quiet time at Monticello, he had begun construction of Poplar Forest in 1805 while still president. Jefferson started using his intimate and private retreat the year he retired and for another fourteen years. This was his most idealistic and perfect work of architecture, yet he invited only a couple of foreign friends to see it. It was not only a retreat, but also a personal treat for this most private person, the American Sphinx, where he could read, write, and think.

Travis C. McDonald is the former director of architectural restoration at Poplar Forest. He is the author of Poplar Forest : Thomas Jefferson’s Villa Retreat.

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This lecture is part of VMHC's 250th commemoration.