BRICK WORK BEGINS ON WING
Poplar Forest Newsletter, Spring 2001

Jefferson’s wing is beginning to take shape, rising upon its original stone foundation as it first did in 1814.

Masons began reconstructing the 100-foot wing of service rooms Jan. 22. Over the next four years, masons and carpenters will rebuild the wing by incorporating recycled Jefferson bricks cleaned by hand, a stone wall from the original structure that formed the base of one wall, portions of the original structure, and 35,000 custom-made reproduction bricks.

Jefferson constructed the east wing in 1814. It contained a kitchen; cook’s room (which may have doubled as a laundry); smokehouse; and a room that may have served as storage.

In the 1840s, the family then living at Poplar Forest, the Hutters, tore down half of the wing closest to the house, and converted the remaining half into two separate outbuildings. The Hutter structures retained sections of Jefferson’s rooms as well as some original individual bricks.

Poplar Forest craftsmen dismantled the Hutter portions this winter, leaving the Jefferson sections standing and harvesting original bricks for the wing reconstruction.

The dismantling uncovered physical evidence, including an original window opening with jambs and sill filled in during the 1840s. Says Travis McDonald, restoration director, "We now know that the windows in the wing looked like the basement windows of the main house."

Jimmy Price, of Price Masonry, inaugurated reconstruction by placing a Virginia quarter and a Jefferson nickel in the mortar that would bed the first brick. His action hearkens back to the 1840s, when craftsmen constructing the two outbuildings placed two pennies under joists.  Those pennies were recovered last fall during dismantling.

Price first put down an original Jefferson brick from the Hutter outbuildings. The masons are interspersing original bricks with reproductions to build the exterior wall.

Visitors will have a unique educational opportunity as they watch what is essentially a Jefferson construction project in progress. They will learn how Jefferson’s craftsmen built Poplar Forest, and how it is being restored today. 

The reproduction bricks are custom made in six ranges of hues to mimic the varied colored bricks used by Jefferson’s craftsmen. Two hundred years ago, wood burning kilns darkened the bricks closest to the fire. Now, similar conditions are created by blowing coal dust into a modern kiln.  

In addition to the custom colors, the reproduction bricks are larger than modern ones. They require custom wood molds into which the clay is hand thrown.