Archaeologists at George Washington’s Mount Vernon have discovered dozens of glass jars filled with fruit preserves in the basement of the historic Northern Virginia mansion that “likely had not seen the light of day since before the American Revolutionary War.”
Of the 35 bottles, 29 remain intact, and all contain cherry, gooseberry or currant flavors, the home and museum of the first U.S. president said in a press release on Friday.
“We never dreamed of this spectacular archaeological discovery,” Doug Bradburn, president and CEO of Mount Vernon, said in a statement. “We were ecstatic last month when two 18th-century bottles containing biological material were discovered completely intact. Now we know that those bottles were just the beginning of this major discovery.”
Bradburn called the find an “unprecedented” one, adding, “Never before has anything of this size and importance been excavated in North America. We now have a wealth of artifacts and material to analyze that may provide powerful insight into the origins of our country, and we hope that the cherry pits recovered can be used for future germination. It is only fitting that these bottles were unearthed just before the 250th anniversary of the United States of America in 2026.”
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Thirty-five glass jars containing preserved foods were discovered in the basement of George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate. (Mount Vernon Ladies Association)
The discovery comes two months after two bottles containing a “mystery” liquid were found along with cherries and seeds.
Experts believe the jar originally contained cherries. The glass jar was buried underground between 1758 and 1776 to keep food refrigerated.
“For some reason, these were left behind and remain in mint condition, so this is quite an incredible find,” he said. 18th century “Apart from some pretty durable stuff, like animal bones, the food remains are still there,” said Jason Borrows, Mount Vernon’s lead archaeologist. Fox 5DC at that time.
All of the newly discovered bottles were removed from five storage pits in the home’s basement and are being kept refrigerated in the home’s archaeology lab, where they will soon be subjected to scientific analysis in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service.
So far, 54 cherry pits and 23 stems have been identified, indicating that the wine was likely full of cherries at the time of bottling.
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The preservative was removed from the bottle for analysis. (Mount Vernon Ladies Association)
Once the bottles are dry, they are sent outside for storage.
The archaeological discovery comes as George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate is undergoing a privately funded, $40 million redevelopment project.
Birdburn said the bottles “probably hadn’t seen the light of day since before the American Revolutionary War” and may have been forgotten when Washington left home to command the Continental Army during that war.
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All of the glass bottles will be preserved by Mount Vernon archaeologists. (Mount Vernon Ladies Association)
“This means that the bottle is extremely fragile and requires great care,” he continued. “The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association is America’s first historic preservation organization, so it’s not surprising that such a remarkable discovery was made at Mount Vernon. We are fortunate to have top archaeologists and historic preservation experts on staff who know how to effectively manage, analyze and protect this incredible find.”
In the 18th century, the best way to protect preserved foods from the Virginia heat was to store them underground.
“One of the best ways to store these types of fruits and vegetables was underground,” Borrows said after the initial discovery. “Sometime after 1758 but before 1776, someone dug a rectangular hole about a foot deep in one of the cellar floors, placed these bottles in there, and then filled it in with thick clay.”
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After the second discovery, he added, “These extraordinary discoveries continue to amaze us. These perfectly preserved fruits, harvested and prepared more than 250 years ago, offer an extremely rare opportunity to contribute to our knowledge of the 18th century environment, plantation eating habits, and the origins of American cuisine. The bottles and their contents are testament to the knowledge and skill of enslaved people who managed the preparation of food from tree to table, including Dorr, the cook who was brought to Mount Vernon by Martha Washington in 1759 and put in charge of overseeing the plantation kitchen.”
After his marriage in 1759, Washington moved to a house on the Potomac River, where he died of a throat ailment in 1799 at age 67.
He served as president from 1789 to 1797 and is buried in the mansion.
