The foundation of the brick forge.

Mount Vernon’s archaeologists continue to research and plan for the upcoming reconstruction of the ca. 1755 Blacksmiths' Shop. Over the last several weeks we uncovered the Shop's forge. Only a few courses of the brick forge remain buried below the ground. This "U" shaped foundation, approximately 4.5 x 6 feet, was originally discovered by Morley Williams during his 1930s exploration of the Blacksmiths' Shop. It was also uncovered in the 1950s, 1960s and 1980s during subsequent archaeological studies of the Shop. After completion of the 1980s excavation a decision was made to reconstruct the Blacksmiths' Shop.

Typically, before buildings are reconstructed at Mount Vernon to more accurately interpret the plantation as it looked in 1799, years of historical and archaeological research take place to shed as much light as possible on what the building might have looked like and what type of work would have taken place there. Beginning in March 2007, archaeologists were at the site monitoring utility work in preparation for the new building. The actual construction of the building should begin in 2008 and it will open to the public in 2009 showing visitors how George Washington’s Blacksmiths’ Shop operated in the 18th century.

In addition to the Blacksmiths' Shop, we are also currently cataloguing artifacts from the Distillery and Upper Garden excavations and analyzing material from the Garden. This research is important for planning the next phase of the Garden dig in 2008.