Peculiar Findings Unearthed From the Basement of George Washington’s Home

By: Beth Moreton | Published: Apr 26, 2024

Archaeological excavations can often undig many things from centuries gone by.

Archaeologists found a bottle during an excavation at George Washington’s home. While to some it might just be a bottle, it gives interesting answers as to what may have once gone on in that house.

The Mansion Revitalization Project

Archaeologists have been working at George Washington’s home as part of the mansion revitalization project.

George Washington’s mansion. The house is white with a red roof and is surrounded by green grass and trees.

Source: Thaidragon27/Wikimedia Commons

The Mount Vernon website reports that this is set to take place between 2023 and 2026 to safeguard the mansion’s original building fabric and ensure the structure remains intact over the next few centuries.

Archaeologists Were Working in the Basement

The discovery started when archaeologists were working in the basement of George Washington’s house.

A man in a hard hat using a trowel to dig in George Washington’s basement. He is kneeling next to two blue buckets.

Source: George Washington’s Mount Vernon/YouTube

The Washington Post reported that Nick Beard, an archaeologist working on the project, discovered some glass fragments in the soil he was digging up.

It’s Normal to Find Glass Fragments

The West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service says it’s common to find glass fragments during archaeological digs.

An example of some of the kinds of broken glass that can be found during archaeological digs. Some are broken into tiny fragments. Others are a bit larger in size.

Source: Bérénice Bellina/Wikimedia Commons

While some pieces of glass might be uninteresting, others could provide a fascinating insight into the area’s history.

Archaeologists Found Two Fully Intact Bottles

Even though most glass archaeological finds are broken, the same cannot be said for the bottles found at George Washington’s house.

The top of one of the bottles poking out from underneath the soil. There is a piece of string running across the soil.

Source: George Washington’s Mount Vernon/YouTube

Both bottles were fully intact and contained liquid inside them, which gave the archaeologists an indication of what the bottles were for.

The Bottles Were Found in November 2023

Despite these findings only now coming to light, the first bottle was initially found in November 2023.

One of the bottles poking up from underneath the soil. An archaeologist, wearing a hard hat, is looking at the bottle with a torch. An open blue notepad and an orange cone are in front of him.

Source: George Washington’s Mount Vernon/YouTube

However, the excavation didn’t occur until March 2024, when the second bottle was also found.

The Bottles Are From the 1700s

Archaeologists could tell that the bottles were from the 1700s and likely belonged to George Washington himself, based on their shape.

An example of a wine bottle from the 18th century. The bottle is black and has a thin neck and a wide base.

Source: Unknown Author/Wikimedia Commons

According to the Mount Vernon website, the bottles are from the 1740s-1750s, but were buried beneath a brick floor that had been laid in the 1770s.

The Room Is Believed to Have Been a Storeroom

Archaeologists believe that the bottles were found in what used to be the storeroom.

The basement in Mount Vernon is believed to be where the storeroom was.

Source: Crystal Rapinchuk/YouTube

However, they are not 100% certain about this, so the bottles could have come from anywhere in the house.

The Bottles Can Give an Insight Into 18th Century Life

While some might consider them bottles, archaeologists believe that they can provide a clearer insight into 18th-century life.

A painting of Mount Vernon in the 18th century. Some people are standing on the lawn, and trees are on either side of the mansion.

Source: American 18th Century/Wikimedia Commons

They can add to the narrative about life back then, and once the contents have been analyzed, they will provide more information for the history books.

The Bottles Contained Cherries

Some of the liquid inside the bottles contained cherries, which, according to Heritage Daily, suggests the liquid was made sometime in spring.

A pile of red cherries with the stems still on.

Source: Joanna Kosinska/Unsplash

It wasn’t just the liquid that contained cherries; there were also preserved cherries inside the bottle, including the stems and pits.

The Bottles Were Full of Liquid

What was somewhat unusual about the bottles was that they were full of liquid.

An old bottle with a brown label. The bottle has some light yellow liquid inside.

Source: Unknown Author/Wikimedia Commons

As reported by Yahoo! News, while some of the liquid was the original liquid from the 1700s, archaeologists believe the rest of the liquid would have been residue from the bottles being underground for around 250 years.

Other Cherry Bottles Have Previously Been Found

These recent finds add to other bottles containing cherry liquid that have previously been found.

Some old 18th-century bottles on a table. The bottles are green, and most have skinny necks and wide bodies. They also all have corks in them.

Source: Historic Germanna /YouTube

Happy ADV reports that these findings happened in 1966 in Williamsburg and again in 1981 at Thomas Jefferson’s estate in Monticello.