The trash pit and foundation of the earlier Wash House within the Servants' Hall.

The small trash pit found next to the old Wash House foundation was deposited prior to the construction of the Servants' Hall in 1775. The tile floor of the Servants' Hall sealed and preserved this pit until it was discovered by archaeologists during the renovation of the Servants' Hall in 1998. Excavation of the trash pit revealed ceramics, wine bottle glass, clay smoking pipes, two pewter spoons, buttons, furniture tacks and copper straight pins, as well as architectural material such as wrought nails, brick and mortar, which were originally discarded before 1775 outside the Wash House.

The small trash pit outside the early Wash House was full of artifacts.

During the 18th century, trash was generally disposed of in convenient places, close to where it was generated – whether on the ground surface or in informal and often shallow depressions. The 1753 inventory of Lawrence Washington's estate lists two beds in the Wash House, suggesting someone was living in the building. It is possible that enslaved laundresses lived in the Wash House and this trash pit could represent items discarded by the slaves who lived or worked in the Wash House.

The ceramics found in the pit included Chinese export porcelain (part of a meat platter similar to one that was used at Washington’s table), tin-glazed earthenware, Staffordshire slipware, and Rhenish and white salt-glazed stonewares. The latter, an English tableware that was fashionable in the colonies from about the 1730s, was an important element of dining and display at Mount Vernon until superseded by Washington’s acquisition of Queen’s Ware (or creamware as archaeologists know it), the latest English fashion, in 1769.

Pewter spoon, Chinese porcelain, white saltglaze stoneware, slipware, and tin glazed earthenware were all found in the trash pit.

In addition to these ceramics, all items which may have been used in the Mansion, fragments of much coarser earthenware known as colonoware were also found in the trash pit. This type of locally-made ceramic is often associated with sites inhabited by enslaved persons; numerous fragments were recovered at Mount Vernon from the House for Families cellar and the South Grove trash midden. It is unlikely that this coarse pottery ever graced Washington’s table.

A high concentration of architectural material found in the middle strata of the trash pit probably reflects a period of construction and/or demolition. This could represent the demolition of the old Wash House or construction of the new Servants Hall, but might also relate to some other construction event that does not appear in the documentary record. Even with all the artifacts recovered from the trash pit, the date of deposition cannot be narrowly defined as to point to a specific year or a limited range of years before 1775.

While the earlier Wash House was standing, it appears that the adjacent yard was liberally used for the disposal of trash, scattered across the ground surface or deposited in ad hoc trash pits.  Use of the yard near the mansion house in this manner seems surprising, but such behavior appears to be typical of trash disposal practices during this time period.  In contrast to the well-tended and tidy lawns and walks enjoyed by today’s visitors to Mount Vernon, the 18^th century landscape may have a much more “lived-in” appearance.

In the early 1990s, aArchaeologists excavated a larger trash pit in the South Grove.

Excavating the pewter spoons.

Two pewter spoons were found in the trash pit.

Close-up of a porcelain plate found in the trash pit.