Of the many crafts practiced at Mount Vernon, shoemaking was perhaps the most essential to the accomplishment of other work. Without adequate shoes, the slaves who tended the fields and the livestock could not perform their duties, especially in cold weather.

Even though Washington often purchased the footwear worn by his slaves from outside manufacturers, he issued each slave only one pair of shoes a year. This meant that the shoemaker -- who might have been either a hired white artisan or a slave himself -- was kept busy performing repairs. In addition to keeping everyone's shoes "up and running," the shoemaker also repaired saddles and other leather goods.