On August 23, 1811, from Poplar Forest, Thomas Jefferson wrote to Charles Clay setting forth instructions on the construction of a sundial. (view letter and transcription)

Following Jefferson's instructions, Professor Paul Field and colleagues re-created this sundial and recently presented it to Poplar Forest for use in educational programming.

For some basic information on sundials, visit http://home.netcom.com/~abraxas2/sun.htm

For information on how to build your own sundial, visit http://home.netcom.com/~abraxas2/horz.htm