Poplar Forest
One of the places I visited on my recent trip to Virginia to visit Nancy Drew of ReallyTopDrawer fame was Poplar Forest, the retreat home of Thomas Jefferson. He designed the building and grounds to be completely symetrical, with the octagonal structure designed to offer eight vistas instead of the usual four.
Our adorable and elderly tour guide shared with us the fact that Thomas Jefferson died $100,000 in debt and was too poor to provide a wedding present to one of his granddaughters so he gave her the desk upon which he wrote the Declaration of Independence. Appropriately, copies of the Declaration were available in the gift shop. Maybe it was the historical and somewhat patriotic mood of the setting, but it made me think about what an important document the Declaration is and how inspiring it can be to actually read it.
I didn't buy the copy they had available at the store, but I did just order a copy that comes with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution in one volume. I can't wait for it to come.
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