George Washington was a war hero, first president, and the guy on the one dollar bill. Beyond that, most Americans only know about a cherry tree he cut down as a boy and the rest is a boring blur. Now, researchers have located and excavated the remains of Washington's boyhood home, Ferry Farm, near Fredericksburg, V.A.
"There is little actual documentary evidence of Washington's formative years. What we see at this site is the best available window into the setting that nurtured the father of our country," said Philip Levy, associate professor of history at the University of South Florida, who lead the excavation.
"If George Washington did indeed chop down a cherry tree, as generations of Americans have believed, this is where it happened," said Levy.
Levy and his associates have been digging at the Ferry Farm site since 2002. Earlier attempts to find the remains of Ferry Farm had failed.
Researchers have unearthed the original foundation and cellars of Ferry Farm. These are the remains of the clapboard-covered wood structure that was once home to Washington, his parents, and siblings.
One notable find from one of the cellars was a broken-off bowl of a pipe clearly bearing a Masonic crest and blackened inside from heavy use. Washington was a member of the Fredericksburg Lodge of the Masons dating back to 1753.
The pipe is typical of the mid-18th century, the time when George would have lived in the house, according to researchers.
Levy and his team have so far located the family's kitchen and slave quarters. They expect to find a dairy, a smokehouse and perhaps warehouses.
"This is it–this is the site of the house where George Washington grew up," said David Muraca, director of archaeology for The George Washington Foundation (GWF), which owns the property. "But it's more than buildings. It is places where people worked, socialized and even played, and it is orchards and gardens. We hope to recover all of that."
Most of the wood used to build the original farmhouse was plundered to build later structures or destroyed during the Civil War. As he grew up, the young Washington farmed tobacco, wheat, and corn.
"On these fields, George transitioned from boyhood to manhood. He decided to learn surveying, worked at making social contacts and contemplated joining the British Navy, until his mother vetoed the idea," Muraca said. "If she had let him go, the future of our country would have been very different."
A National Geographic Channel film, "The Real George Washington," which follows the discoveries at Ferry Farm, will premiere this November.
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