The story of a six-year-old George Washington chopping down a cherry tree may be a legend, but archaeologists excavating at Mount Vernon, the home of the first president of the United States, made a very real discovery of 35 glass bottles filled with cherries and berries.
The bottles were found in five storage pits in the mansion's cellar, 29 of which were intact and contained "perfectly preserved cherries and berries, likely gooseberries or currants," according to a Thursday statement from Mount Vernon of George Washington.
Teams unearthed the 18th-century bottles during a $40 million revitalization project launched last year at Mount Vernon, Virginia. The bottles were retrieved from pits, refrigerated, and are slated for scientific analysis, the statement said.
The bottles, slowly drying, are "composed of materials and foods likely dating back to 250 years ago," and will be sent from Mount Vernon's archaeological lab to an external conservation center, according to the statement. The latest find follows the recent discovery of two intact glass bottles of European manufacture from the 18th century, filled with liquid, cherries, and pits in the same cellar, the organization said.
"Now we know those bottles were just the beginning of this remarkable discovery," said Doug Bradburn, President and CEO of Mount Vernon, in a statement.
Bradburn described the finds as "an unprecedented discovery," adding that "nothing of this scope and significance has ever been unearthed in North America." "The bottles and their contents testify to the knowledge and skill of enslaved individuals who managed food preparation from tree to table," said Jason Boroughs, Mount Vernon's chief archaeologist.
According to Bradburn, the bottles may have been forgotten when Washington left Mount Vernon to take command of the Continental Army. "It's likely these artifacts haven't seen the light since before the American Revolution," he said. "It's so fitting that these bottles have been brought to light just before the 250th anniversary of the United States."
06 Jun 2025
The 2025 Jerte PDO cherry campaign kicks off with three newly certified varieties: Van, Lapins, and Burlat. The goal is to ensure better quality and longer presence in European markets, with an expected output of 7,000 tons of fresh cherries and carefully selected picotas.
22 May 2025
Bruising, pitting and rot affect postharvest cherry quality. Learn how container choice (totem, bucket, or capacho) and cherry variety (Santina, Sweet Heart, Regina, Lapins) influence firmness, mechanical damage and shelf-life under cold storage conditions.
01 Jan 2026
Ultrasound and nanobubble treatments are transforming postharvest cherry management in Chile. Physiological indicators such as pitting, electrolyte leakage and respiration help assess treatment impact and preserve cherry quality for up to 45 days in cold storage.
01 Jan 2026
The use of ultrasound and nanobubbles in post-harvest cherry storage in Chile opens up new possibilities. Physiological indicators such as pitting, electrolyte levels allow the effectiveness of treatments to be assessed and fruit storage to be improved by up to 45 days.
