Archaeology 1930s

Part of the earlier Wash House is below the 1775 Servants' Hall.

During the 1930s, Morley J. Williams partially uncovered an earlier foundation beneath the Servants' Hall. He identified this as the Wash House listed in the 1753 inventory of Lawrence Washington’s estate. He based this identification upon the 1775 correspondence to George Washington from his cousin and manager Lund Washington during the construction of the Servants' Hall.

Archaeology 1990s

In 1998, during restoration of the Servants' Hall, the floor of the building was replaced and archaeologists used this opportunity to see what survived of the old Wash House.  In the early 20th century archaeological remains below the eastern room of the Servants' Hall were destroyed when the earth was dug out and filled with coal and cinders to keep the building dry.  Old soil was preserved below the western half of the Servants' Hall and test units placed here exposed portions of the earlier Wash House foundation and the pre-1775 ground surface outside the Wash House.

The corner of the earlier Wash House within the Servants' Hall.

    

A close-up of the Wash House foundation.

 

A drawing of the Wash House foundation (red) within the Servants' Hall.

This pre-1775 ground surface, which would have been on the exterior of the earlier Wash House, was preserved and subsequently sealed by the clay tile floor installed in the Servants' Hall. Eighteenth-century artifacts recovered from layers within this test unit appear to have been deposited as surface trash, or what archaeologists call “midden.” During this time it was very common to deposit trash on the ground, even in proximity to the homes of wealthy planters.

Another test unit revealed part of the Wash House foundation and a feature that would have been located outside of that building – a shallow depression, possibly the former location of a tree, which was filled with trash. This small pit yielded a rich variety of pre-1775 domestic artifacts, including ceramics, wine bottle glass, clay smoking pipes, and two pewter spoons.

The trash pit before excavation.

The pit was comprised of many layers of trash discarded outside the northeast corner of the Wash House.

Excavating the trash pit.

 

Close-up of the Wash House chimney foundation.

   A third test unit located within the west room revealed another portion of the Wash House foundation; because of its shape and location at would have been the east gable end of the building, this was interpreted as a portion of the Wash House fireplace. Artifacts recovered from this test unit consisted solely of architectural material – brick, mortar, etc. - likely from the original construction and subsequent demolition of the Wash House prior to construction of the Servants Hall.

Excavation unit inside the foundation of a chimney was identified along the eastern wall.

 

These excavations discovered the location of the old Wash House foundation and documented the placement of one chimney upon the eastern gable wall. Archaeologists also discovered a small trash pit and evidence that the yard around the Wash House had many small fragments of trash – ceramics, glass, bricks and other items that were discarded. While we do not know much about Mount Vernon during the ownership of George Washington's half-brother Lawrence, excavations such as this one and work in the South Grove are providing important clues about this early period.