Shoemaker's Shop

The shoemaker played a critical role by maintaining the enslaved laborers’ shoes so that no labor or time was lost. One pair of shoes was issued annually to each enslaved worker and repaired over the course of the year. At different times, enslaved or hired persons worked as shoemakers, making the majority of the shoes worn by the hundreds of enslaved individuals laboring at Mount Vernon. These ready-made, rather than custom, shoes required breaking in by the wearer. The shoemaker also worked on saddles and other leather goods.

By the early 1790s, George Washington’s enslaved former valet William Lee had become the estate's shoemaker.