Archeologists excavating Mount Vernon, the historic home of the first President of the United States, George Washington, have made a fascinating discovery. While the tale of young George Washington and the cherry tree may be a myth, the recent find of 35 glass bottles filled with cherries and berries is very real.
The discovery was made in five storage pits located in the mansion's cellar. A total of 29 bottles were found intact, containing perfectly preserved cherries and berries, likely gooseberries or currants.
This remarkable find was unearthed during the ongoing $40 million revitalization project at Mount Vernon in Virginia. The 18th-century bottles have been carefully extracted from the pits and refrigerated for preservation.
Scientific analysis of these ancient bottles is now underway. The materials and foodstuffs within the bottles, believed to be around 250 years old, will be sent to an off-site location for conservation.
Mount Vernon's President and CEO, Doug Bradburn, described the discovery as unprecedented, stating that nothing of this scale and significance has ever been excavated in North America. The recent find of two intact European-manufactured glass bottles filled with liquid, cherries, and pits in the same cellar hinted at the larger discovery to come.
It is speculated that these bottles may have been forgotten when George Washington departed Mount Vernon to lead the Continental Army. Bradburn noted that these artifacts likely remained untouched since before the American Revolution.
The organization is hopeful that the cherry pits found in the bottles may still be viable for future germination. Mount Vernon has partnered with the US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service to analyze the contents of the bottles.
Initial analysis revealed 54 cherry pits and 23 stems, indicating that the bottles were once filled with cherries. The cherries are believed to be of a tart variety, which may have aided in their preservation due to their acidic composition.
Researchers are considering DNA extraction from the cherries to identify their exact species by comparing them against a database. This significant discovery comes just before the 250th anniversary of the United States, adding a poignant historical context to the find.
