Muddy Hole at Mount Vernon, Fairfax County, Virginia

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Fairfax, Virginia
Surnames/tags: Washington Slavery

Index of Plantations

Virginia Plantations

Mount Vernon Estate

Contents 1 Introduction 1.1 Slaves at Muddy Hole 1.1.1 List of Negro Men, Women and Children at Muddy Hole Farm 1786 1.2 Slaves at Muddy Farm in 1799 2 Sources

Introduction

Muddy Hole Farm was located in the northeast corner of the plantation, running alongside Little Hunting Creek. George Washington inherited the main chunk of the farm in December 1754 as part of the original Mount Vernon Tract. The remainder was purchased from Sampson Darrell in December 1757 and George Mason in October 1769.^[1]According to George Washington’s diary, hemp was grown at Muddy Hole in 1765 as part of his attempt to exit the tobacco industry in pursuit of more profitable cash crops. According to the diary, more hemp was indeed sowed at Muddy Hole, the mill, and Dogue Run farms in March 1766. As Washington evolved as a farmer, Muddy Hole Farm became a part of the crop rotation implemented by him plantation-wide.

Slaves at Muddy Hole

Kate: She was married to Will, the overseer at Muddy Hole. She later became the “Granny,” or midwife, to the estate’s enslaved women. As George Washington’s property, Kate and her living children—Molly, Virgin, and Kate—became free in 1801 through the provision in his will. Because her husband, Will, belonged to the Custis estate, he remained enslaved. He was inherited by one of Martha Washington’s grandchildren.^[2]

List of Negro Men, Women and Children at Muddy Hole Farm 1786

^[3]

Names	Distinction	Places of Abode	Children	Ages
Will	Overseer	Muddy Hole
Will	Laboring men	Muddy Hole
Charles	Laboring men	Muddy Hole
Gabriel	Laboring men	Muddy Hole
Jupiter	Laboring men	Muddy Hole
Kate	Laboring women	Muddy Hole	Molly	14
			Virgin	11
			Will	8
			Kate	4
Nanny	Laboring women	Muddy Hole
Sarah	Laboring women	Muddy Hole	Isbel	3
Alice	Laboring women	Muddy Hole	Kate	4
Peg	Laboring women	Muddy Hole	Letty	7
			Forrister	2
Sackey	Laboring women	Muddy Hole	Uriah	10
Darcus	Laboring women	Muddy Hole	Moses	8
			Townsend	6
Amy	Laboring women	Muddy Hole
Nancy	Laboring women	Muddy Hole

Slaves at Muddy Farm in 1799

In 1799, Washington took stock of all his enslaved laborers at Mount Vernon. According to the account, we know forty-one slaves in total lived and worked on Muddy Hole Farm at the time, thirty-six owned by Washington and five dower slaves belonging to the Custis family. Twenty-one of these slaves are listed as workers, while nineteen are listed as children and one as “does nothing.”

Children:

• Sylvia, age 10, daughter to Molly
• James, age 7, son to Molly

Sources

1. ↑ ‘The Growth of Mount Vernon, 1754-86’ in The Diaries of George Washington. Vol. I. 1748-65. Donald Jackson and Dorothy Twohig, eds. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1976, p. 240-241.
2. ↑ https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/kate/
3. ↑ http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll11/id/316/rec/1