'Blockbuster discovery' unearthed at George Washington's Mount Vernon estate

Dozens of pre-Revolutionary War bottles of fruit preserves have been uncovered at Mount Vernon, the home of first president George Washington.

"Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine this spectacular archaeological discovery," Mount Vernon President & CEO Doug Bradburn said in a statement. "We were ecstatic last month to uncover two fully intact 18th-century bottles containing biological matter. Now we know those bottles were just the beginning of this blockbuster discovery."

Bradburn called the discovery an "unprecedented" find, adding, "nothing of this scale and significance has ever been excavated in North America. We now possess a bounty of artifacts and matter to analyze that may provide a powerful glimpse into the origins of our nation, and we are crossing our fingers that the cherry pits discovered will be viable for future germination. It’s so appropriate that these bottles have been unearthed shortly before the 250th anniversary of the United States," which will be in 2026.