MOUNT VERNON — Archaeologists at Mount Vernon in Virginia recently unearthed a sweet find: 35 bottles of preserved cherries and berries dating back to the 18th century, a discovery that gives a fruitful insight into our nation's culinary history.
“This is a once in a lifetime discovery,” said Jason Boroughs, principal archaeologist at the historic home of George Washington, “It's incredibly rare to find what is essentially fresh fruit after 250 years. You've probably had things in your refrigerator that you know have expired or gone bad pretty quickly.”
The delectable discovery was uncovered during the home’s three year revitalization project.
“The core of [the home] was built in the 1730s, and it was never meant to have over a million visitors a year going through it,” Boroughs added.
According to Boroughs, a former professor at Utah Valley University, performing archaeological procedures is normal protocol before any construction takes place.
In April, archaeologists found two bottles before Boroughs and his team discovered 35 more in storage pits underneath the mansion’s cellar floor. Of the 35 bottles, 29 are intact and contain hundreds of perfectly preserved cherries and berries, like gooseberries or currants.
The cellar was used to store perishable items such as fruit, butter or paint that had linseed oil in it, which could combust if not stored properly.
“So it's very much sort of like a refrigerator and they were intended to last in the ground for up to a year until the next harvest season,”said Boroughs.
The bottles were buried under a dense clay.
“The bottles were corked tight originally when they were put in the ground,” said Lily Carhart, curator of preservation collections at Mount Vernon. “But after a long period of time, those corks dried out and fell into the bottles…”
Water eventually seeped into the bottles, Carhartt added, which likely contributed to their discoloration. But the fruit stood the test of time…smell and safety wise.
“The fruit was entirely recognizable," Boroughs added. “The cherries even smelled like cherry blossoms.”
According to Boroughs, USDA scientists who studied the fruit samples found no microbial activity in the bottles.
“What [USDA scientists] told us was that basically these are within the parameters and the levels that the USDA maintains for consumption of items in the grocery store,” Boroughs explained.
So how were the bottles forgotten for so long? Since 1775 to be exact.
That was when Washington rode up to Philadelphia and accepted the role as commander in chief of the Continental Army.
“Obviously, he was pretty busy during those years,” Borough said.
So who was responsible for preserving these fruits?
“I should mention that this is a highly-skilled process that would have been overseen by the enslaved folks that lived here, and probably under the oversight of a cook named Doll,” Boroughs noted.
Doll was an enslaved woman brought by Martha Washington when she moved to Mount Vernon.
According to the archaeologists, the enslaved staff at Mount Vernon took care of the trees, picked the fruit, prepared and bottled the fruit for the consumption of Washington and his guests.
“These are literally the fruits of the labor of the enslaved folks that this fruit survived a quarter millennium for us to find,” Boroughs said.
For now, the fruit is being examined by USDA scientists to identify their species and to see if any of them can be germinated.
“14 of the bottles themselves we think will also be included in an upcoming exhibit that will open in 2026,” Carhartt added.
For Boroughs and his team, the discovery is an inside look into the early customs and traditions that founded this nation. It’s also a reminder of this nation's dark past.
“It gives us sort of this kind of close up look at the things people left behind,” said Boroughs. “We're the first people to touch these items since they were put into the ground. And in the case of these bottles, it's a pretty humbling experience because we know that the last hands that touched those items did so in bondage.”
