View Places - Nailery at Monticello

Jefferson labeled this building as "j. is a shed to be added to D. [the smith's shop] 50 feet by 18 f. for the nailers" in the 1796 Mutual Assurance Plat.

Nailery and Blacksmith’s Shop. 3D rendering by Rendersphere, LLC.

<strong>j. nailery</strong>, overhead view of site excavation.

Overhead view of the excavation of the site of the Nailery and Blacksmith's Shop.

The nailery was built around 1796 as an addition to the “smith’s shop.” Used for nail-making until 1802, Jefferson described the workshop as a wooden “shed … 50. feet by 18. f. for the nailers.” Archaeological evidence suggests that the enslaved nailers—boys aged 10 to 16—worked, lived, and slept in this large building. Using nailrod shipped from Philadelphia, the nailboys produced about 5,000 to 10,000 nails each day in seven different sizes, including fourpenny brads cut from hoop iron with a nail-cutting machine. Enslaved blacksmith George Granger, Jr. supervised the nailboys and received a portion of the profits, earning $42 in 1796. Jefferson weighed the nailrod and nails daily to calculate the loss of iron and assess the efficiency of his young workers; he sold the nails to local stores and to neighbors.

Videos about Monticello's Nailery

"How to Make a Nail in the 18th-Century"

"How Many Nails Could an Enslaved Boy at Monticello Make in One Day?"

Hired white supervisor:

Gabriel Lilly 1800–05

Enslaved supervisor:

George Granger, Jr. (1759–99), 1794-1799

Enslaved nailers:

Burwell Colbert (1783–1862), 1794–

Barnaby Gillette (1783–after 1827), 1794–

Ben Hix (1784–1799), 1794–

James Hubbard (b. 1783), 1794–

Phil Hubbard (1786–1819), 1794–

Wormley Hughes (1781–1858), 1794–

David Hern (the younger, 1784–after 1829), 1794–

Shepherd (b. 1782), 1794–

Joseph Fossett (1780-1858), 1794–

Moses Hern (b. 1779), 1794–

John (b. 1785), 1796–

Kit Hix (b. 1786), 1796–

Davy (b. 1785), 1796–

Ben (b. 1785), 1796–

Brown Colbert (1785–1833), 1796–

Isaac Granger Jefferson (b. 1775), 1796–98

Cary (b. 1785), 1796–1803

James Hemings (b. 1787), 1799–

Lewis (b. 1788), 1800–

Bartlet (b. 1786), 1800–