Blockbuster Discovery’ Found at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate

Blockbuster Discovery’ Found at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate

Archaeologists at George Washington’s Mount Vernon have discovered dozens of glass jars filled with fruit preserves in the cellar of the historic Northern Virginia home that “likely haven’t seen the light of day since before the American Revolution.” Twenty-nine of the 35 bottles remain intact, and all contain either cherries, gooseberries or currants, the home and museum of the first U.S. president revealed in a press release Friday. “Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine this spectacular archaeological discovery,” Mount Vernon President & CEO Doug Bradburn said in a statement. Bradburn called the discovery an “unprecedented” find, adding, “nothing of this scale and significance has ever been excavated in North America. The discovery comes two months after two bottles were found that contained a “mysterious” liquid, along with cherries and pits. Experts believe that the bottles were originally filled with cherries. The glass bottles were placed in the ground between 1758 and 1776 to refrigerate food.

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