Carpenter's Shop

Constructed about 1790, this 30 x 18.5-foot workshop was made “all of wood, the floor of earth, in which is stored plank & such things” and was “used at times as a carpenter’s shop, and sometimes a little fire is made on the floor.”  The shop also served as short-term living quarters for the Scottish carpenter and joiner David Watson in 1793.  However, its primary function was to serve as a temporary shelter for building materials and rough carpentry during the construction of Monticello II (1796–1809).  After sawing timber into planks at the nearby saw pit, carpenters roughed out the wood to create joists, sleepers, and finished flooring for the main house.   All of this wood was stacked—separated by small wooden spacers between the boards—and dried with the aid of a small fire.  The carpenter’s shop was likely demolished by 1809.

Hired carpenters:

• David Watson, resident of workshop ca. 1793
• James McGee, 1798–99
• Reuben Perry, 1799–1803
• John M. Perry, 1800–11
• Gideon Fitz, 1802–03
• Elisha Watkins, 1809