Dozens of bottles of centuries-old, impeccably preserved cherries and berries from the cellar of George Washington's Mount Vernon estate in northern Virginia have been discovered during an archaeological dig. Officials from Mount Vernon say the discovery of so much perfectly preserved food from more than 250 years ago is essentially unprecedented.
Curator Lily Carhart shows a pipette they used to extract liquid from a few dozen 18th-century glass bottles that contained fruit after they were unearthed from the cellar of George Washington’s residence in Mount Vernon, Va., Monday, June 17, 2024. George Washington’s residence undergoes a $40 million revitalization project in Mount Vernon, Va., Monday June 17, 2024.
“Finding what is essentially fresh fruit, 250 years later, is pretty spectacular,” Boroughs said in an interview. “All the stars sort of have to align in the right manner for that to happen. ” Mount Vernon is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is conducting DNA testing on the fruit. They are also examining more than 50 cherry pits recovered from the bottles to see if any of them can be planted.Brooklyn preacher gets 9 years in prison for multiyear fraud
“The enslaved folks who were taking care of the trees, picking the fruit, working in the kitchen, those would have been the folks that probably would have overseen and done this process,” Boroughs said. “It’s a highly skilled process. Otherwise they just wouldn’t have survived this way.”“When we do archaeology, it’s destructive,” Boroughs said. “So unless we have a reason to disturb those resources, we tend not to.
VA State Wire DC Wire U.S. News N Oddities A
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Blockbuster discovery' unearthed at George Washington's Mount Vernon estateDozens of pre-Revolutionary War bottles of fruit preserves have been uncovered at Mount Vernon, the home of first president George Washington.
Read more »
More bottles of cherries found at George Washington's Mount Vernon home in 'spectacular' discoveryArchaeologists discovered 35 glass bottles of the preserved fruit buried in a cellar, Mount Vernon officials announced on Thursday.
Read more »
Sealed bottles of cherries discovered at Mount Vernon 250 years laterArchaeologists uncovered some 35 bottles in Mount Vernon that they believe to be cherries from the 18th century.
Read more »
Westchester Soccer Club gets a permanent home in Mount VernonStarting in 2025, Memorial Field in Mount Vernon will serve as the team's home stadium.
Read more »
Vernon Davis Evaluates 49ers TE George KittleVernon Davis and George Kittle might be the two best tight ends in 49ers history, and they both wore no. 85. Today, I interviewed Davis and asked him to evalute Kittle tight end to tight end, or 85 to 85. Here's what Davis said.
Read more »
Mount Washington race won for record eighth time by Colorado runner Joseph GrayJoe Nguyen is a digital strategist for The Denver Post. Previously he was the online prep sports editor. Prior to that, he covered Adams County and Aurora in the YourHub section. He has previously covered Colorado’s Asian-American communities as editor for Asian Avenue magazine and AsiaXpress.com.
Read more »