Archaeological excavations associated with a restoration project for the historic residence of first US President George Washington, known as Mount Vernon, on the banks of the Potomac River, have uncovered dozens of bottles of cherries and raspberries preserved in storage pits. In the basement of your palace.
Jason Burroughs, Mount Vernon’s chief archaeologist, said the discovery of so much perfectly preserved food from more than 250 years ago is unprecedented, the Associated Press reported Monday.
“Finding what is essentially fresh fruit, 250 years later, is absolutely amazing,” Burroughs said.
Whole pieces of fruit, recognizable as cherries, were found in some of the bottles.
Other bottles contained what appeared to be raisins, although tests are underway to confirm this information.
Mount Vernon has partnered with the USDA, which conducts DNA testing of the fruit. She is also examining more than 50 cherry pits extracted from the bottles to see if any can be grown.
Records at Mount Vernon show that George and Martha Washington loved cherries, at least when mixed with brandy.
Martha Washington’s recipe for the cherry cocktail still exists, and Washington wrote that he took the cherry cocktail with him on a trip through the Allegheny Mountains in 1784.
Burroughs said these discovered cherries were likely bottled to be consumed like cherries.
The quality of preservation reflects high-quality work. Slaves ran the plantation kitchen. The kitchen was supervised by an enslaved woman named Doll, who came to Mount Vernon in 1758 with Martha Washington, according to the estate.
“The slaves who tended the trees, picked the fruits, and worked in the kitchen were likely the people who supervised and carried out this process,” Burroughs noted.
The bottles were found only because Mount Vernon is undertaking a $40 million palace renovation project, which they hope to complete by the country’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
Archaeologists know that the bottles date back to before 1775, when the palace was expanded and this area was covered with a brick floor.
Mount Vernon announced last April, when it began its archaeological work, that it had found two bottles.
As excavation work continued, the number rose to 35 in six separate storage pits.
Six of the bottles were broken, twelve containing cherries, 16 containing another fruit believed to be currants and a larger bottle containing cherries and other fruits.
The legend of George Washington and the Cherry Tree tells that the first President of the United States received a small ax for his birthday, and that he was happy with this gift, and he tried to cut down some trees, cutting down his father’s favorite cherry tree. After his father confronted him, George Washington responded with the famous phrase, “I am the one who cut down the cherry tree,” which made the father proud of his son’s honesty.
