On the banks of the Potomac River, a construction crew pulled up a section of brick floor and hit something far older than expected.
What looked at first like ordinary glass turned out to be a carefully buried cache from the 18th century, filled with fruits, stems and a cloudy liquid that now has archaeologists on edge with curiosity.
The unexpected find beneath Mount Vernon
The discovery came during a major restoration project at Mount Vernon, George Washington’s historic estate in Virginia. The site regularly undergoes conservation work so it can remain open to the public, and archaeologists often monitor any digging in case something turns up.
This time, something did. Under a brick floor laid in the late 18th century, researchers found two intact glass bottles. They date from roughly 1740–1750, the period when a young George Washington was still shaping his life in colonial Virginia.
Hidden for nearly three centuries beneath Washington’s home, the bottles still held their original contents: cherries, pits, stems and a viscous liquid.
The bottles were discovered in an area that archaeologist Nick Beard described as a former storeroom. That detail matters, because it hints that what was buried there might have been part of everyday food storage or drink preparation, rather than a ceremonial deposit or trash pit.
George Washington’s deep roots in Virginia
Mount Vernon is not just a tourist attraction; it is where a large part of Washington’s personal and political life unfolded. Born in Virginia in 1732, Washington grew up in the British colony before making his name during the French and Indian War in the 1750s. He returned to Virginia to marry Martha Custis and later represented the colony in the First Continental Congress.
The estate itself began as his father’s house, built around 1734. Washington inherited it in 1761 and gradually expanded both the mansion and the surrounding farmland, turning Mount Vernon into a powerful symbol of his status and influence.
At its height, the property covered thousands of acres and relied on the labour of more than 300 enslaved people. They planted, harvested, cooked, cleaned and maintained a complex network of buildings, gardens and storage areas.
The brick floors, storage rooms and orchards of Mount Vernon formed the backstage of Washington’s carefully managed public image.
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Cherries trapped in time
Inside the bottles, archaeologists found something that almost never survives from the 18th century: preserved food. The glass vessels held cherries that had broken down but were still recognisable, along with pits, stems and a sticky residue that once may have been juice, syrup or alcohol.
To prevent damage, conservation staff carefully decanted the contents into fifteen small modern containers for study. Each fragment, from a shrivelled fruit skin to a floating stem, can tell a story about diet, preservation methods and trade in colonial Virginia.
The bottles’ excellent condition is part of what has stunned specialists. Glass often breaks; food usually rots completely. Here, both survived long enough to be recovered in near-complete form.
For archaeologists used to working with tiny shards, finding largely intact 18th-century food is the research equivalent of hitting the jackpot.
Was it a colonial cocktail or preserved fruit?
The big question now hangs over the liquid. Early analysis suggests it could be related to “Cherry Bounce”, a popular colonial-era drink made from cherries, brandy and sugar. Historical records show that both George and Martha Washington enjoyed this sweet, strong concoction, often served to guests and travellers.
Yet specialists are cautious. Traditional Cherry Bounce was usually stored in larger casks or substantial bottles, not small containers like the ones unearthed at Mount Vernon. The scale does not quite match the usual recipes.
The food preservation theory
Another leading hypothesis is far more practical: old-fashioned food storage. In the 18th century, cherries were a seasonal crop. Households eager to stretch the harvest used alcohol, sugar, or dense syrups to keep fruit edible for months.
- Cherries might have been packed whole into bottles.
- A liquid—possibly brandy, vinegar, or heavy sugar syrup—could have been poured over them.
- The bottles would then be sealed and set aside in a cool storeroom.
This technique would have provided something sweet in winter or during periods when fresh fruit was unavailable. For a household that received many visitors, preserved fruit could also feature in desserts, sauces or drinks.
The role of enslaved workers in the find
Mount Vernon’s orchards and kitchens were run largely by enslaved labourers. They planted the trees, picked the fruit, boiled the sugar and handled the day-to-day food storage. If these bottles represent a preservation effort, the work almost certainly passed through their hands.
The buried bottles are not just about Washington’s tastes; they may be one of the rare surviving traces of the skill and routine of the people he enslaved.
Some historians suggest that the careful burial under a brick floor might have been accidental, perhaps during renovations, or a practical way to store items in a cool, stable environment. Others wonder whether it could indicate hidden personal use, such as setting aside fruit for a particular family or worker. Without written records, that part of the story remains open.
Why archaeologists are so excited
For professionals like collections conservator Lily Carhart, these bottles represent a near-ideal find. Archaeology at historic houses often yields broken ceramics, scattered bones or small metal fragments. Intact containers with contents are far rarer.
The find allows researchers to work across several scientific fields at once. Chemical tests can identify traces of alcohol, sugars and other compounds. Pollen or plant DNA can confirm the exact cherry variety. Even the glass itself can reveal where the bottles were made and how they travelled.
| Research question | What scientists will look at |
|---|---|
| Was the liquid alcoholic? | Chemical markers for ethanol and fermentation by-products |
| What kind of cherries were used? | Plant DNA, seed structure, and comparison with historic varieties |
| Where were the bottles produced? | Glass composition, mould marks, and shape compared to known 18th-century glassware |
| How were they sealed? | Traces of cork, wax or fibre around the necks of the bottles |
What this tells us about early American food culture
The bottles add to a growing body of evidence showing how colonial households managed food and drink. Alcoholic mixtures like Cherry Bounce blurred the line between medicine, treat and everyday beverage. Strong fruit-based drinks could be served to guests, used to “settle the stomach”, or stored for long journeys.
Preserved fruit also reveals how people without modern refrigeration coped with abundance and scarcity. A good cherry harvest might last a few weeks on the tree but, with careful work, could be stretched across many months in pies, tarts or drinks.
For visitors to Mount Vernon today, the find offers a more tactile sense of life on the estate. It is one thing to read that Washington served guests cherry-based drinks. It is another to stand in a room above the spot where cherries, picked by enslaved hands, sat in glass for centuries.
Understanding “Cherry Bounce” and similar drinks
Cherry Bounce sits in a broader category of historic cordials—sweet, flavoured drinks made by steeping fruit, spices or herbs in alcohol. Many early American households had recipes for such mixtures, passed along like family secrets.
Modern recreations, based on 18th-century cookbooks, usually follow a few basic steps: crush cherries, add sugar, pour in brandy or another spirit, then let the mixture rest for weeks before straining. The result is thick, sweet and quite strong.
Food historians studying the Mount Vernon bottles can compare chemical signatures against known recipes. If the liquid shows high alcohol content and particular aromatic compounds, the Cherry Bounce theory gains weight. If not, the preservation explanation grows stronger.
From buried bottles to modern questions
Finds like this also raise wider questions about whose stories get preserved. Washington’s letters and accounts survive in archives, but the daily routines of the enslaved workers who handled fruit, mixed drinks and stored supplies rarely appear in written form.
Archaeology fills part of that gap. A single buried bottle can hint at kitchen schedules, seasonal work patterns and unrecorded skills. It may also point toward personal tastes within the enslaved community—how they adapted, reused or quietly reshaped the products of the plantation system.
For visitors planning a trip to Mount Vernon, the case of the mysterious bottles offers a concrete way to think about the site. Walking the grounds, you can imagine the moment someone carried those cherries inside, poured liquid over them, sealed the glass and placed it carefully in storage, never expecting that centuries later, scientists would be measuring every remaining drop.
As laboratory results emerge, the analysis will not only answer whether these bottles once held a favourite Washington drink or a simple batch of preserved cherries. It will also help sharpen our view of how food, labour and social life intertwined on one of America’s most famous estates.