Do you have a question about archaeology or restoration at Mount Vernon? Email the archaeology department and we will answer your questions.  

Here is a sample of frequently asked questions:

Q: What’s the coolest thing you have ever found?

A:  I excavated an almost complete fork from a trash dump located behind the Mansion kitchen.  We discovered it in a pit with other artifacts dating to the mid-eighteenth century.  It is different from modern forks in two ways: it has a handle made of animal bone and it has two tinges instead of four. 

One of the coolest things we've ever found, a bone handled fork.

Archaeologist excavating a small trash pit behind the kitchen.

Q: How do you know where to dig?

A: Archaeologists at Mount Vernon conduct excavations for two reasons: 1) to manage and record the archaeological resources before construction is carried out and 2) to answer specific research questions that will help us learn more about George Washington and his plantation.  If any construction is going to take place on the estate, the archaeologists must investigate the soils to make sure they won’t destroy anything significant.  For example, the Restoration Department needed to put a new drain outside the Spinning house outbuilding.  We excavated in the path of that drain, and found postholes for an earlier fence that surrounded the Botanical Garden.

Jen Strong Ebbert excavating at the Spinning House.

We also carry out excavations with specific research questions in mind.  We use maps that were drawn of the property in addition to historical documents to help us locate sites.  Then we conduct systematic surveys of the area, looking for concentrations of artifacts and undisturbed soil layers.  This was how we located the site of George Washington’s Distillery.