My husband and I (we live in NC) and 2 of our friends (they live in Ohio) toured the house and…read moregardens in September. Shaun Spencer-Hester gave us a wonderful tour! She really brought Anne and Edward Spencer back to life. She was a pleasure to be with and made our tour so enjoyable! I am from Lynchburg, Va. I had heard of Anne Spencer, since I was a child, from my father. What a joy it was to see her home, her garden and purchase her book - Half My Life (great read). Amelia Jane F.

This famous poet's home is a museum now. It is viewed by appointment only, but is worth it. There's…read morealso a garden in the summer. Great for poetry enthusiasts and others who appreciate literature.

While visiting friends in the Lynchburg area, we went here and opted for a self guided tour. The…read morehouse is small and a lot of it is not been restored. Similar layout concept as Monticello but on a smaller scale. It is a beautiful area and the house is very interesting. The grounds around the house have not been maintained well which is unfortunate. The garden walls are collapsing and several dead trees/plants. However, I know that this is a foundation and funding can be an issue. They also put on plays on the south lawn at various times which would be a fun event to attend. There is also a new looking walking trail on the entrance drive in and it had a lot of people there on the morning that we visited.

Historical site. Ole…read moreTom Jefferson really knew how to build them - an excellent example of octagon construction and out buildings... assuming you put aside the fact that is where the slaves were working and all. Nice piece of property in the Forest area of VA, this was Jefferson's summer home. Considering it is a bit of a task to get to in 2015, it must have really sucked to make the trek on horseback way back in the day. Worth a visit if in the area to at least get a glimpse into how they lived 200 years ago - right down to the functional outhouses. They really lived pretty well back then - I guess if you had the money. There are guided tours for a donation that gets you in the main house. I'm not sure on the paid tour if they point out where ole T.J. was boinking Sally Hemmings... You can walk the grounds for free. A nice day out for the family.

Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest is a perfect pairing to the D-Day Memorial in Bedford. Get the…read morecombo ticket, you'll save a good deal of cash! There are guided tours available on a schedule, but we preferred to wander at our own pace. You can go in the house, just be nice and don't touch stuff. They had a free kennel on site, but we couldn't figure out how to work it, and dog's are allowed to stroll the grounds, so we just took turns going inside. I loved walking on the roof, and the cellar was extremely interesting! The shape of the home was intriguing, and there was a ton of information available to read and discover!!

Had the opportunity to travel back East to enjoy some fall activities with friends from my DC days…read more We chose to attend the annual Thomas Jefferson Fall Wine Festival at Poplar Forest. Something we used to do as a group. I once worked for a vineyard in Leesburg VA that closed in recent years yet reminisced with the owner of Notaviva a nearby vineyard that knew the owners. The Founder of Notaviva wrote a book about thier wine and farming journey, pairing elements of wine and music. I really enjoyed the cabernet franc from the property. It may be a surprise that you can order the wine in a bag. Not a bottle and not a box, but a packable bag! It was a beautiful November 70 degree day and the event provided programs, glasses and live music to name a few things. A beautiful day at this historic property. #FallFestival #WineFestival #JeffersonsPoplarForest #CentralVA

According to local legend, Thomas Jefferson ate a tomato here to prove it wasn't poisonous. I'm a…read morehardcore history nerd, so of course, I had to check it out. I didn't take a tour (because of COVID-19), but the gardens were still open, so I enjoyed the tulips and peonies. The setting is beautiful, with plenty of large trees and flowering plants. This is the only house in the city from the 18th century, and it has been maintained wonderfully.

Lynchburg was a pivotal city and transportation hub in the Civil War and it avoided destruction by…read moreUnion Forces thanks to the efforts of General Jubal Early https://www.yelp.com/biz/jubal-early-monument-lynchburg?hrid=4aLY_bdVctUltYVhUDaU8A. This marker points out some of why that was. It reads, "Here, facing west, ran the inner defenses of the city, located by General D. H. Hill. They were constructed by convalescents and home guards. General Early, after an inspection of the system, moved most of the men to the outer works well to the westward." On June 18, 1864, in the Battle of Lynchburg, Early's combined forces, though outnumbered, repelled Union General Hunter's troops. [Review 15093 overall, 595 of 2021, number 1309 in Virginia.]

This historical marker and the very tall granite obelisk are dedicated to Confederate Lieutenant…read moreGeneral Jubal Early. It is located on a triangular corner of a mini-mart. The marker reads, "Fort Early. Named for Confederate Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early, this roughly square earthen redoubt served as a part of the outer line of defense for Lynchburg in June 1864. Fort Early and the outer fortifications were constructed to provide additional protection for the vital railroad facilities in Lynchburg threatened by Union Maj. Gen. David Hunter's troops after Early arrived on 17 June. On 18 June, Hunter advanced his troops towards Confederate positions, while Union artillery bombarded Fort Early and other Confederate fortifications. After a number of unsuccessful assaults during the day, Hunter ordered a retreat that night. His troops withdrew to the southwest toward present-day Roanoke." Online, there is a lot more information. Jubal Anderson Early was a Virginia lawyer and politician. He was trained at the United States Military Academy (aka West Point) and resigned his U.S. Army commission after the Second Seminole War and his Virginia military commission after the Mexican-American War, in both cases to practice law and participate in politics. Early accepted a Virginia and later Confederate military commission as the American Civil War began, Early fought in the Eastern Theater throughout the conflict. He commanded a division under Generals Stonewall Jackson and Richard Ewell, and later commanded a corps. A key Confederate defender of the Shenandoah Valley, during the Valley Campaigns of 1864, Early made daring raids to the outskirts of Washington, D.C., and as far as York, Pennsylvania. Particularly after the death of Gen. Robert E. Lee in 1870, Early delivered speeches establishing the Lost Cause position. Early helped found the Southern Historical Society and memorial associations. So while he was certainly a hero to Lynchburg and the Confederacy, he was clearly not willing to accept defeat. It's a very beautiful monument here and that's why I rate it four stars. [Review 15069 overall, 571 of 2021, number 1287 in Virginia.]

Extending up the side of a pretty steep hill, Monument Terrace is a blocks-long series of stairs…read morefrom Church Street to Court Street. Along the way, a series of monuments and memorials to those from the Lynchburg area who have served or lost their lives in service to their country. At the tip, in pride of place, a Confederate soldier holding a rifle mounted with a bayonet. Because of its location along the James River and with access to the Shenandoah Valley, Lynchburg was a pivotal spot in the Civil War. And the Appomattox Court House to the east is where the surrender was signed and the war ended. The statue was dedicated in 1900 and has a time capsule. Inside, artifacts include Confederate currency, photographs of local veterans and a hair sample from Traveller (General Lee's horse). According to the caption, Monument Terrace consists of 132 steps and 10 landings was completed in 1925. Designed initially as a memorial to Lynchburg's World War I casualties, several other memorials have been placed over the years. It's a pretty good workout climbing the stairs. We saw several folks taking advantage of that exercise. [Review 15084 overall, 586 of 2021, round number 1300 in Virginia.]

This memorial depicts John Warwick Daniel sitting and shows his crutches. That's because Daniel was…read moreinjured during the Civil War, earning the nickname "The Lame Lion of Lynchburg." He was a very talented writer and speaker, memorializing the Confederate war effort and speaking out against Reconstruction. in the 1880s helped rebuild the Democratic Party. At the Convention of 1901-1902, called to revise the state constitution, Daniel chaired the important Committee on the Elective Franchise. At first advocating less-onerous suffrage restrictions, he ultimately pushed for a more aggressive path that disfranchised most African Americans in Virginia, along with large numbers of poorer white citizens. Daniel spent his last years as an elder statesman of the Democratic Party, and died in 1910. John Warwick Daniel served as a member of the House of Delegates (1869-1872), of the Senate of Virginia (1875-1881), of the House of Representatives (1885-1887), of the U.S. Senate (1887-1910), and of the Convention of 1901-1902. [Review 15094 overall, 596 of 2021, number 1310 in Virginia.]

This marker pays tribute to a terrible tragedy that struck Lynchburg…read more The marker reads, "The deadliest fire in Lynchburg history occurred here at a Federal Transient Bureau shelter on 24 March 1934. The Bureau, opened by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration as part of the New Deal, housed out-of-work men passing through town during the Great Depression. The two-story building was overcrowded when an early morning kitchen fire spread rapidly and claimed the lives of at least 19 inhabitants; about 70 others were injured. The federal government returned many bodies to their families, but seven were buried locally in the Old City Cemetery. National attention was focused on Lynchburg, and federal guidelines for homeless shelters were improved as a result of this disaster." Online, there is more information. "On March 24th 1934, twenty-two men (a different number than above) died due to a fire at the Federal Transient Bureau building in downtown Lynchburg. The Federal Transient Bureau opened its doors to the poor and homeless on December 18th, 1933 in a two story building on the corner of Twelfth and Church Streets. Its purpose was to feed and house occupants during the Great Depression and on the morning of the fire, one- hundred and ninety men were using the facility. A kitchen grease fire rapidly spread, eating through the dry wood supports and cardboard partitions of the building. To make matters worse, there were no fire escapes on the building since city code did not require them on two-story dwellings at that time." "All of the windows in the second story of the Bureau were covered with wooden planks to prevent people from breaking the glass and to stop people in nearby buildings from peering in. The men located on the ground floor were more fortunate and most were able to escape through the front doors." An army veteran who served during World War I commented that the scene at the Virginia Baptist Hospital was "like that of a field hospital in a combat zone." The youngest fatality from the fire was a fourteen year old boy who had come from North Carolina for work. He was on his way home when he decided to stay overnight in Lynchburg due to the snow. Panic and the sealed windows were labeled as major factors in the high death toll by officials and to this day, the Federal Transient Bureau fire is considered one of the worse fires to ever occur in Lynchburg due to the loss of life. [Review 15090 overall, 592 of 2021, number 1306 in Virginia.]