Page 38 - Discover Summer 2022
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A Popular Retreat CONTINUED




      warm weather. It was also a convenient way              annual “Conversations” program, which is
      of keeping the kitchen workers, which at the            a truly remarkable experience. Bill Barker,

      time were usually slaves, at a distance from            is an actor who has a degree in history
      the people in the main house.                           from Villanova. He has been appearing as

                                                              Jefferson for some 30 years now, after an
             Bear in mind that this great statesman
                                                              initial appearance at Independence Hall in
      and noted attorney, who is well remembered
                                                              Philadelphia. His strong physical resemblance
      for his architectural genius, considered
                                                              of Mr. Jefferson is but one aspect of his
      himself a farmer by profession. Jefferson
                                                              credibility. He studies relentlessly, to the point
      was a rare breed of man:
                                                                                    where he assumes the
      a scholar, who enjoyed
                                                                                    persona and character
      putting his education to
                                                                                    of the man with what
      practical use. He spent
                                                                                    appears to be astonishing
      an enormous amount of
                                                                                    ease.
      time reading and learning,

      so that he might excel at                                                     Joining Mr. Barker on
      his passion for farming.                                                      my first visit was a young

      He studied horticulture,                                                      man from Long Island,
      and invented a new type                                                       who played counterpart

      of more efficient plow (a                                                     to Barker’s Jefferson as
      design that he refused                                                        Napoleon Bonaparte. He

      to patent so that other                                                       was more than equal to
      farmers might freely make                                                     the task, and we enjoyed

      use of it). The design won                                                    a spirited “conversation”
      him an award from the                                                         and debate between these

      French Society of Agriculture in 1809.                  two world leaders followed by a brief question
                                                              and answer period.
             Visitors to Poplar Forest are charged

      a modest admission fee, which avails them                      The premise of these events is that we
      of regularly scheduled tours, access to                 are taken back to a specific date in history, at

      archaeological and historical exhibits, and the         which time the two participants are engaged
      opportunity to walk the grounds with a hand-            in an informal meeting, with the audience

      held GPS-enabled device that acts as a tour             acting as invited guests. Each actor has

      guide of the grounds.                                   trained himself in the history of his life and
                                                              times up to and including that date, but not
             The reason for my recent visit was the


      36     Discover Smith Mountain Lake  SUMMER 2022
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