Introduction: The Artisans of Mount Vernon
Artisans were an extremely important group of laborers at Mount Vernon who contributed to the estate being able to function. Anyone who had a skilled job was considered, in some way, an artisan. George Washington’s artisans can be split into three different groups, enslaved, indentured, and hired. There were numerous jobs that artisans were able to complete, anything from being a ditcher to being the Washington family’s personal servant. By using letters, wills, and reports, historians are able to start attempting to piece together the economic and social lives of the enslaved, indentured, and hired artisans. Oftentimes, Washington had his enslaved or indentured workers performing skilled jobs but would hire other workers to teach them the job or to oversee them. When Washington bought the indenture of an individual, he was often looking for someone who possessed a skilled trade. When hiring individuals, he looked for someone who possessed skilled trades as well, generally Washington’s overseers and farm managers were hired men. But there are a few instances in which his enslaved were overseers on certain farms. There is even an instance in which Washington hires an enslaved artisan to complete some work that needed to be done on the estate. Throughout Washington’s residency at Mount Vernon, he has always required having artisans around to make his estate his sanctuary from his public life.