The legend of young George Washington chopping down a cherry tree may be fictional, but a recent archaeological find at his Mount Vernon estate has uncovered a very real treasure: 35 glass bottles filled with cherries and berries.
These bottles were discovered in five storage pits located in the mansion’s cellar. Of the 35 bottles, 29 were found intact and contained “perfectly preserved cherries and berries, likely gooseberries or currants,” according to a news release from George Washington’s Mount Vernon.
The excavation is part of a $40 million revitalization project at Mount Vernon, Virginia, launched last year. After being unearthed, the 18th-century bottles were refrigerated and are set to undergo scientific analysis.
The slowly drying bottles, filled with materials and foodstuffs estimated to be around 250 years old, will be sent from Mount Vernon’s archaeology lab to an off-site location for conservation.
This discovery follows the recent unearthing of two intact European-manufactured glass bottles, also from the 18th century, containing liquid, cherries, and pits in the same cellar.
“Now we know those bottles were just the beginning of this blockbuster discovery,” said Doug Bradburn, President and CEO of Mount Vernon, calling the finds “an unprecedented find” and noting that “nothing of this scale and significance has ever been excavated in North America.”
“The bottles and contents are a testament to the knowledge and skill of the enslaved people who managed the food preparations from tree to table,” stated Jason Boroughs, Mount Vernon principal archaeologist.
It’s possible the bottles were forgotten when Washington left Mount Vernon to take command of the Continental Army, suggested Bradburn. “These artifacts likely haven’t seen the light of day since before the American Revolution,” he noted, adding that the timing of the find is significant as it coincides with the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States.
The team at Mount Vernon is hopeful that the cherry pits might 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. Early analysis has identified 54 cherry pits and 23 stems, indicating that the bottles were likely filled with cherries at one point.
“The cherries likely are of a tart variety, which has a more acidic composition that may have aided in preservation,” the release explained. The cherries are potential candidates for DNA extraction, which could help researchers identify their exact species by comparing them against a database.