Poplar Forest and Appomattox

Today was history adventuring at its best! Padmini, unfortunately, had to grade midterms :( Undeterred, Merilee and I took Padmini's cute car and went to explore the Virginian countryside in search of history and adventure. We made sure we had plenty o' cheezits for the journey that lay ahead. We headed of to Poplar Forest. Though I thought I knew a bit about T. Jefferson, I did not know about Poplar Forest, his villa and retreat in Bedford county. It was an octagonal house that he built on a working plantation he inherited from his father in law. It is a beautiful building that is currently being restored by a team of archaeologists, who are trying to ensure that everything, down to the plantings, are as Jefferson had it when he designed and lived there. One of the Poplar trees was dated to the 1600's. Pretty rockin'!! One of our favorite things was the "necessary" that was also red brick and octagonal. A necessary is a place where you do your most necessary business. Jefferson actually didn't use it, he has indoor plumbing in his room only.

From there Merilee and I went off in quest of Appomattox courthouse, where as y'all know, or should know, is where General Lee of the Confederate Army surrendered to General Grant of the Union Army, thus ending the Civil War. Well, again, I thought I knew my Civil War history...but he did not actually surrender at Appomattox courthouse. It was closed for Palm Sunday. He surrendered at the McLean house. The man whose house it was, actually fought in Manassas at the beginning of the war, then hating war, moved as far away as he could with his family, until the war found him again, but this time was ended in peace in his house. Cool, huh??!!

Well, we also found a confederate war cemetery and lovely rolling hills.

Enjoy!! xoxo