George Washington, the first president of the United States, lived for decades at Mount Vernon with his wife Martha. The estate on the banks of the Potomac River in Virginia was built in 1734 and expanded twice before the death of one of the founding fathers of the United States in 1799.
The house and its grounds today belong to the American National Register of Historic Places, which has allocated up to 40 million dollars (about 37.5 million euros) for its restoration. The archaeologists participating in the work have made a surprising discovery in the basement. Two bottles full of century-old cherries.
The dark green glass containers, probably made between 1740 and 1750, were hidden in the floor of the historic mansion, under a brick floor that was laid in the 1770s, the Association of Ladies of Mount Vernon, which preserves and maintains the property.
After discovering the bottles upright and sealed, each of them was carefully removed and transported to the Mount Vernon archeology laboratory. There it was determined that removing the liquid content would help stabilize the glass, which had not been directly exposed to the atmosphere for about two centuries.
The researchers decanted its contents (including cherries, pits, stems and a “sticky residue”) into smaller containers in order to preserve the roughly 250-year-old material for future analysis. Experts believe much of the amber liquid could be groundwater that leaked as the corks deteriorated.
“There are whole, recognizable cherries,” said Jason Boroughs, senior archaeologist at Mount Vernon. “In fact, the liquid still retained the characteristic aroma of cherry blossoms, familiar to residents of the region during the spring season,” he adds.
The cherries were probably harvested on the Mount Vernon plantations in the 1770s, possibly before the American Revolutionary War, and saved for future consumption, buried sometime between 1758 and 1776, archaeologists say.
During colonial times, there was a popular drink known as Cherry Bounce that was made with brandy, spices, sugar and cherry juice. Both George Washington and his wife Martha were fans of this recipe. But this liquor was typically stored in larger containers than the newly discovered ones, so experts conclude that the fruits were likely preserved for other uses, such as cooking or baking.
“There are stories from the 18th century that talk about proper ways to preserve fruits and vegetables,” Boroughs said. “One of the most common measures, especially for berries, is to dry them as much as possible, put them in a dry bottle, cork it and then bury them,” he adds.
The cherries were surely picked by one of the hundreds of slaves who lived at Mount Vernon. This is not the first time similar containers containing centuries-old fruit have been found in Virginia. In 1966, some bottles were unearthed in Williamsburg, and in 1981, others were found at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s estate.
“Not only did we recover intact and sealed bottles, but they also contained organic material that can give us valuable information about life at Mount Vernon in the 18th century. “These vessels have the potential to enrich the historical narrative and we are excited to have the contents analyzed so we can share this discovery,” concludes Jason Boroughs.
The mansion, initially built as a private residence, is now a public monument visited by thousands of people daily, resulting in a much greater flow of traffic through the house than the Washingtons could have imagined. This increase in visits has caused wear and stress on the structure of the building.
Some of the first interventions carried out in the home were “localized” repairs aimed at solving specific problems. The current project, however, seeks to repair sections of the structure and masonry, design and install a new state-of-the-art heating/ventilation/air conditioning system and improve drainage in and around the basement.
