Sawyers felled trees in the nearby forest and then sawed the timbers into planks at the saw pit. More>
Discover Work
On Mulberry Row, enslaved people, free artisans, and indentured servants worked as tinsmiths, nailers, sawyers, carpenters, joiners, charcoal-burners, spinners, weavers, hostlers, and domestic servants. The work of dozens of men, women, and children supported Jefferson’s elite household, allowed him to build and renovate his house, and carry out agricultural and industrial activities on the entire 5,000-acre Monticello plantation.
Rough Carpentry
Carpenters roughed out planks in the carpenter’s shop for flooring, joists, or planks. More>
Charcoal-burning
Charcoal-burners burned wood in “kilns” to produce wood charcoal for fuel in the nailery, smith’s shop, and main house. More>
Tinsmithing
Tinsmiths cut and soldered sheets of tin into cups, pepper boxes, graters, and other items. More>
Nail-making
Nailers, mostly enslaved boys, fashioned hand-made or machine-cut nails in the nailery and smith’s shop. More>
Spinning and Weaving
Spinners made thread on spinning jennies or spinning wheels while weavers used looms to make wool, hemp, or wool cloth. More>
Tending of Horses
Enslaved stablemen (hostlers) managed the care of horses and the occasional mule in the Mulberry Row stable. More>
Preservation of Meat
Enslaved men and women cut up beef and pork and salted it for curing in the smokehouses. More>
Laundering
Enslaved female house servants laundered clothing as well as bed and table linens from Jefferson’s household in the wash house. More>
Blacksmithing
Blacksmiths shaped or mended steel and iron horseshoes, guns, or agricultural machinery on anvils in the smith’s shop. More>
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