George Washington never cut down the cherry tree, despite famous history saying otherwise, but he packed a few bottles of the fruit in his Mount Vernon mansion, some of the finds now perfectly preserved.
Archaeological excavations associated with a restoration project of the historic residence of the first president of the United States, George Washington, known as Mount Vernon, on the banks of the Potomac River, led to the discovery of dozens of bottles of cherries and berries, preserved in basement storage pits of your mansion.
Jason Boroughs, chief archaeologist at Mount Vernon, said the discovery of so many perfectly preserved foods from more than 250 years ago is unprecedented, the Associated Press (AP) reported Monday.
Finding what is essentially fresh fruit, 250 years later, is quite spectacular,” Boroughs noted.
Whole pieces of fruit, recognizable as cherries, were found in some of the bottles.
Other bottles contained what appeared to be currants, although tests are being carried out. in progress to confirm this information.
Mount Vernon has partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is conducting DNA testing of the fruit. It is also examining more than 50 cherry pits They are recovered from the bottles to see if any of these can be planted.
Mount Vernon records show that George and Martha Washington liked cherries, at least mixed with brandy.
Martha Washington’s recipe for a cherry cocktail survived, and Washington wrote that he took a jar of cherries on a trip through the Alleghenies in 1784.
However, these discovered cherries were probably bottled to be consumed simply as cherries, Boroughs said.
The quality of the conservation reflects high caliber work. Slaves ran the plantation kitchen. The kitchen was overseen by an enslaved woman named Doll, who arrived at Mount Vernon in 1758 with Martha Washington, according to the property.
The slaves who careful of the trees, harvesting the fruit, working in the kitchen, these would be the people who would have probably supervised and carried out this process,” Boroughs noted.
The bottles were only found because Mount Vernon is conducting a mansion revitalization 40 million dollars [cerca de 37,4 milhões de euros] which they hope to have completed by the country’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
Archaeologists know that the bottles date back to before 1775, when the mansion was goal of an expansion This area was covered with a brick floor.
Mount Vernon announced in April, at the beginning of its archaeological work, that it had found two bottles.
As the excavations continued, the number increased to 35 in six storage pits distinct.
Six of the bottles were broken, twelve contained cherries, 16 contained other fruits that had been they are believed to be currants and a larger bottle contained cherries and other fruits.
The legend of George Washington and the cherry tree tells that the first President of the United States received a small ax on his birthday and, happy with the gift, he tried to cut down some trees, cutting down his father’s favorite cherry tree. After his father confronted him, George Washington responded:I was the one who cut down the cherry tree’, which made the father feel proud of his son’s honesty.
Source: Observadora
