Beyond Nicolas Cage and the "Book of Secrets": An Archaeological and Architectural Study of George Washington’s Cellar at Mount Vernon

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

An often forgotten (and sometimes mythologized) place at George Washington’s home, the cellar at Mount Vernon has been the focus of recent intensive archaeological and architectural research. A multidisciplinary team of archaeologists and architectural historians have been excavating and analyzing the mansion basement since 2017 in an effort to thoroughly document this neglected part of the house and better understand the evolution of the space from the 18th century onward. More than just a place to store spirits and foodstuffs, recent findings have shown the cellar to house a quarter for an enslaved family, a kitchen, a complex water catchment system, and much more. While this paper can neither confirm nor deny the presence of secret escape tunnels, it will nevertheless offer insight into this little-understood part of Washington’s home.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2024   •
• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow