Thomas Jefferson's landholdings in Albemarle County totaled some
5,000 acres. To manage this vast estate, Jefferson divided the
land into separate "farms." The area surrounding the planter's
dwelling constituted the "home farm"; for Jefferson, this was
Monticello mountain. Outlying lands were divided into manageable
parcels known as "quarter farms" and were run by resident
overseers. Thomas Jefferson's quarter farms were Tufton
(adjacent to Monticello), Shadwell, and Lego (both north of the
Rivanna River, which bisected his landholdings). Jefferson
sought to further organize his farms by dividing them into
agricultural fields of forty acres each. Monticello's quarter
farms