Friday, March 3, 2017

Jefferson's Secret Lab...

I really don't know if the lab was secret or not, but that sure sounded good, didn't it?

While the lab may not have been secret, it definitely was hidden from view. Here is the story about this hidden Jefferson's lab.

Thomas Jefferson’s Lab



Photo credit: University of Virginia

As the project manager supervising a renovation of the University of Virginia’s Rotunda, Matt Scheidt wanted to know how thick the Rotunda’s walls were, so he crawled through a hole in one of them and discovered a chemistry lab designed by Thomas Jefferson. The lab was constructed in the 1820s, toward the end of the Rotunda’s construction, and was walled off in 1840, due to changing, more sophisticated teaching methods. As a result, it survived both a fire in 1895 and extensive renovations in the 1970s.

Until October 2015, when Scheidt entered the Rotunda, the lost lab had remained a secret. Now, one of a rare few such old “chemical hearths,” the lab is displayed as part of an exhibit in the Rotunda’s visitor center.

Just imagine finding a lab on the campus of a major university, especially one from the 1820s. Talk about a well kept secret!

Coffee in the kitchen once again!

5 comments:

  1. Oh, I would so love to see it. That is fascinating. Imagine the thrill when it was discovered. Have a great weekend.

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  2. The things they find in these old buildings is always such wonder. I bet they're are so many more things to find in the old building.

    Nice morning here so far and it's 57 some sweats could allow for sitting out. But I would rather have it with my friends at your place

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  3. Interesting! I put Charlottesville, Virginia on my list of places to visit when I get up that way.

    Coffee in the kitchen here in Pensacola Florida this morning for sure! Sun or no sun, 44 degrees is just too chilly for me this morning.

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  4. Hey Linda...
    I can only imagine how exciting it must have been.
    Thanks for stopping by today!


    Hey Jo...
    You just never know what you might find.
    Thanks for dropping by, Dear!


    Hey Rob...
    Sounds too cold for Florida to me, but I've never been there s what do I know.
    Thanks for coming over today, sir!

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  5. Why don't I ever find things like that? Oh yes, I would be satisfied with finding a huge treasure, it doesn't need to be a lost lab. And yes, that lab was a treasure, for sure.

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