A “Considerable Force” (Historical Marker)

Here follows the inscription written on this trailside historical marker:

A “Considerable Force”
Gunston Hall in the Masons' time included many structures, roads, gardens, and far-off landscapes built or tended by the Masons' enslaved workers. Today, the mansion house remains the largest surviving physical site of their labor. What John Mason called a “considerable Force” of house workers could be pressed into service at any time, day or night. Notable individuals included George Mason's trusted manservant James, housemaids Poll and Nell, Dick (probably a footman or butler), and the courier Joe. Laboring amidst the Masons and visitors, enslaved house staff served meals, provided childcare, and cleaned the home. In the course of their day, enslaved workers observed Mason family intimacies. They also overheard talk of current events on the plantation and in the world beyond.

The ideals of freedom sparked by the American Revolution inspired some Chesapeake slave owners to manumit (free) the people they owned. George Mason described slavery as a “slow poison,” but he never freed the people he enslaved. Instead, at his death in 1792, he willed all of the men, women, and children to his own nine offspring. Of the twenty enslaved siblings listed, fourteen were separated from their families.

Working Behind-The-Scenes

Enslaved domestic staff were also busy in several outbuildings in the nearby kitchen yard.

Placed within sight and sound of the mansion, these structures included the kitchen, dairy, poultry houses, and laundry. Many times a day, workers crisscrossed the yard, which was a crowded and lively area enclosed by a tall fence.

We do not know what the original kitchen yard looked like. These reconstructed buildings show our conjecture, based on written accounts, archaeology, and original buildings from other mid-l8th-century Chesapeake plantations.

A Cook's Experience

Cooking required physical strength and stamina, sharp senses, the ability to multi-task, and good judgment.

Enslaved cooks knelt and crouched at open hearths. They stood and paced for hours on hard surfaces, moving between worktable and fireplace, as well as out to the smokehouse, dairy, and mansion.

Cooks used expensive and exotic ingredients imported from abroad including sugar, tea, and chocolate. They also sourced local provisions raised on the Masons' plantations, such as fruits and vegetables, meat, grains, fish, and eggs.

Ann Mason instructed her staff on what food to prepare, and many of her recipes followed English traditions. But the enslaved cooks’ knowledge of African flavor and cooking styles likely made meals at Gunston uniquely Virginian.

Erected by George Mason's Gunston Hall.


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Fork, c. 1750
Archaeologists rarely discover whole items. Imagine their surprise when they uncovered this iron and fork in the kitchen yard. An enslaved person such as Nell or Poll may have carried it from the kitchen to the mansion while working.
Close-up of photo on marker

Sweet Potatoes Stewed
Mary Randolph, The Virginia Housewife, 1828.
Recipes collected and published by Mary Randolph reflected well-established Virginia cooking practices. This dish was likely a familiar one to 18th-century residents of Gunston Hall.
Close-up of photo on marker