In a remarkable discovery, archaeologists conducting excavations at Mount Vernon, George Washington’s historic home in Virginia, have unearthed two glass bottles filled with centuries-old cherries. The bottles, believed to have been made between 1740 and 1750, were found buried beneath a brick floor laid in the 1770s.
To preserve the delicate contents, researchers decanted the cherries, pits, stems, and gooey residue into smaller vessels for future analysis. Principal archaeologist Ashley Boroughs described finding whole, recognizable cherries and a faint aroma of cherry blossoms upon reaching the bottom of the bottles.
The amber-colored liquid in the bottles is suspected to be groundwater that seeped in as the corks deteriorated over time. Researchers believe the cherries were likely harvested at Mount Vernon in the 1770s, possibly before the Revolutionary War, and buried between 1758 and 1776 for future consumption.
While cherry bounce, a popular colonial-era drink made with brandy, spices, sugar, and cherry juice, was known to be stored in larger vessels, the small size of the newly discovered bottles suggests that the cherries were intended for other uses, such as cooking or baking.
It’s worth noting that the cherries were not likely picked by Washington himself but rather by the enslaved people who lived and worked at Mount Vernon at the time. The iconic tale of a young Washington chopping down a cherry tree and confessing to it with the words “I cannot tell a lie” is, in fact, a myth created by a biographer.
Similar vessels containing preserved fruits, including cherries, have been discovered in Virginia in the past. In 1973, a bottle of 18th-century cherries was found at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello estate, and in 1981, another bottle of old cherries was unearthed at a site in Williamsburg.
These archaeological discoveries offer a fascinating glimpse into the culinary practices and preservation techniques of colonial America, shedding light on the everyday lives of those who lived and worked on historic plantations like Mount Vernon.
