A Woman at the Center

Doll was thirty-eight years old when she arrived at Mount Vernon in 1759—among the more than 80 enslaved people Martha Dandridge Custis brought to her marriage to George Washington.

Forced to leave her home in New Kent County, Virginia, Doll arrived at a new plantation and a new community. She brought with her an expertise that would define the estate's kitchen for decades to come.

As cook for many years, she worked long hours preparing hoecakes, smoked hams, and other Washington family favorites. Mount Vernon's constant stream of visitors meant she regularly produced large, elaborate meals. She worked closely with Martha to plan each day's menu and monitor ingredients—but the kitchen was her domain.

She passed her expertise to her daughter Lucy, who succeeded her as one of the estate's cooks. In her later years, Doll continued using the kitchen to distill rose and mint water for medicinal purposes and to dry fruits such as cherries—practices that passed through the generations.