Most everyone knows about Thomas Jefferson's primary residence Monticello in Charlottesville Virginia.  It is a beautiful home and shows how far ahead Jefferson was when it came to architecture, literature and agriculture.  By like so many other homeowners today Jefferson also had a second home that is rarely mentioned in the history books and in fact Jefferson for the most part kept the existence of the home to himself.

In 1773 his wife Martha inherited a 4000+ acres of land in central Virginia that included Natural Bridge.  When the British invaded Monticello in 1781 Jefferson retreated to Popular Forest the name given to his second home to hide his family for a few months. Over the years he would visit the property and at the end of his presidency plagued by passerby's stopping at Monticello, the paparazzi of his time, looking for Presidential favors, Jefferson began making plans for a retreat.

Poplar Forest in the only octagonal brick house that Jefferson completed though it was the style of home he was most fascinated with.   The original home was clearly before its time with floor to ceiling windows for circulation, skylights and an indoor bathroom.  Jefferson used the property throughout his retirement years and when he died it passed to his grandson who sold the property to another family.  Over the years the home began to fall into disrepair and land sold to developers.  Finally in 1983 the non-profit group was formed that purchased the property back from its last owner. 

As you are out looking at the fall foliage along the Blue Ridge Parkway it would be a great opportunity for you to take in a bit of Virginia's lesser known historical attractions.  If you are thinking about a second home give me a call to talk about some of the great communities throughout Virginia and remember that even Thomas Jefferson needed a retreat to get away from it all.