Existing comment:
The Shoemaker's Shop:
Mount Vernon's shoemakers were kept busy making and repairing shoes for the nearly 100 adult slaves who labored on George Washington's farms. Every field hand received one pair of shoes each fall. In 1799, the enslaved shoemaker was William "Billy" Lee, the personal attendant who accompanied Washington during the Revolutionary War. Lee learned the trade of shoemaking after seriously injuring both knees. He and several assistants also fixed saddles and the Washington family's shoes. They did not make shoes for the Washingtons, who ordered finer footwear from local merchants or London manufacturers. |