Archaeologists have conducted two excavations at Jefferson's wing, which was added in 1814 between the east side of the house and the east mound.  

The archaeology has answered many questions about the house and life at Poplar Forest.

The bulk of the excavation was done in 1989-1991, when archaeologists uncovered the remains of the wing and part of the yard in front of it.  They found the original brick floors, stone hearths, wall foundations, and a stone retaining wall, as well as thousands of artifacts from Jefferson's time.

The architectural remains and artifacts showed that the wing was 100 feet long and nearly 23 feet wide, with a covered passageway along its southern face.  The evidence also indicated how the wing was used.

A narrow L-shaped space, open to the south, separated the house from the first full room.  This first room was unheated, and may have served as storage.  Next came a kitchen, a cook's room (that may have doubled as a laundry), and a smokehouse.

Artifacts retrieved from the excavation include: a fork with a bone handle, dyed green in imitation of jade, Chinese porcelain tea and coffee wares, and English transfer-printed plates.

The artifacts confirm what granddaughter Ellen said about Poplar Forest: "It was furnished in the simplest manner, but had a very tasty air; there was nothing common or second rate about any part of the establishment though there was no appearance of expense."

Jefferson incorporated many features in the wing considered modern for the time:

A stew stove in the kitchen that allowed the cook to control temperatures more precisely than with an open hearth.  Archaeologists found the cast iron grill of the stove.	A small enclosed space with a chimney at the front of the smokehouse.  Jefferson's design reduced the amount of smoke released from the curing chamber by slaves who maintained the fire.  The remains of the system can be read in the patterns of stone and brick that survive in the smokehouse floor.	A bell system connecting the rooms of the main house to the wing, allowing residents to summon slaves working in the wing.  Archaeologists found fragments of an original bell and pieces of the system.	A flat roof that Jefferson and his granddaughters used for strolling.

Archaeological evidence suggests that some time in the 1840s, the wing no longer stood.  The family who owned the property at the time tore down the two rooms closest to the house, and refashioned the remaining two rooms into a freestanding kitchen and a smaller smokehouse.  In the 20th century, the two buildings were reconnected by a narrow room that served as a bathroom.  The entire complex was converted to a guesthouse.

The second excavation was done in the winter of 2000-2001 before reconstruction of the wing began.  It involved limited areas that had not been examined in the original dig.   

Archaeologists found additional fragments of plates and cutlery, and animal bones. They also recovered samples of charcoal and other burned material from the hearth for laboratory analysis.