1. Archeological Internship
2014 Spring Internship with Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest
Scott Stevens
Lynchburg, Virginia
.
Abstract
Thomas Jefferson had a secondary property during his life located in
the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Forest, Virginia. Since 1986,
archeologists have been carefully studying and mapping the property to
learn more about Jefferson’s life and the lives of the slaves who lived and
worked on the plantation. The purpose of this internship is to acquire
knowledge about the archaeology Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest and
acquire skills related to studying aspects of his early nineteenth-century
retreat. The goal of this position was to work with the specialized staff of
Poplar Forest’s Department of Archaeology and Landscapes with an
emphasis on the ongoing Carriage Turnaround Project. Using
archeological field recording techniques and ArcGIS software, we were
successfully able to digitally map the cobblestone surface of the Carriage
Turnaround and other archaeological features located nearby. Along with
the Carriage Turnaround Project, I gained experience in the artifact-
processing lab, learning several basic techniques needed to sort and study
artifacts associated with Jefferson’s Wing of Offices. These projects seek
to better understand Thomas Jefferson’s secondary property as well as the
lives of the slaves and others who lived and worked in the main house at
Poplar Forest.
About Poplar Forest
Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Popular Forest
plantation was a retreat for Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson’s wife
Martha inherited the Bedford County plantation known as Poplar Forest
from her father in 1773. After it was built in the early nineteenth-century,
Jefferson used this plantation house as a retreat from Monticello and
visited up to four times per year. He and his family also spent two months
here in 1781 when they left Monticello to elude British capture. During this
visit, Jefferson compiled much of the material for his only book, Notes on
the State of Virginia.
Internship Responsibilities.
Worked in the archaeology laboratory assisting the Senior
Research Archeologist with sorting and processing artifacts.
Helped create a geodatabase using ArcGIS 9.3 that will
allow staff to analyze and study cobblestones in the
carriage turnaround. Had the opportunity to work with state-
of-the-art mapping equipment, including a total station for
recording field information. Worked with a soil flotation
tank, separating light and heavy samples for further study
and research. Kept a weekly journal documenting
experiences.
Acquired Skills
Geographic Information System creation Artifact processing and curation Artifact photography and recording
Artifact-based research and analysis Fine-screen flotation and sorting Data Entry and Image enhancing
For More Information:
http://www.poplarforest.org