George Washington's Fredericksburg Foundation

Ferry Farm archaeologists have spent the last five years assessing underground remnants at George Washington's boyhood home. The Washington plantation contained several structures including two dwellings (the first one burned down Christmas Eve, 1740), several warehouses, a kitchen, and at least one slave quarter. In an attempt to find these remains, Ferry Farm archaeologists excavated over 500 exploratory holes. Once artifact concentrations were found, larger holes of various sizes were dug in hopes of identifying the actual remains of the Washington-era structures. To date, archaeologists have found the remnants of the earliest dwelling on the property, one of the warehouses, a wooden post-in-the-ground structure, and a cellar. These excavations have uncovered more than half a million artifacts to date, including those shown below.

Projectile Points

Thousands of years before the Washingtons took up residence at Ferry Farm, American Indians populated the area. The most telling archaeological remains of these early inhabitants are stone projectile points. Based on their form and style, it is possible to date these tools.

Clovis spear point fragment The oldest artifact yet recovered at Ferry Farm is a base fragment from a spear point type called a Clovis Point. This thin, well-made point with its diagnostic "fluted" center was crafted by a person who was part of a nomadic hunting culture that populated the Americas between 12,000 BC and 8,300 BC. Because of its great antiquity and association with this early culture, this artifact is one of the rarest in Ferry Farm's archaeological collections

Recovered in greater abundance and Archaic projectile points frequency are notched and stemmed projectile points that date to the Archaic period, 8,300 BC to 1,600 BC. Native people of this period were migratory hunters and gatherers who exploited the diverse resources found along the terraces above the Rappahannock River. Although these points exhibit a seemingly lesser degree of craftsmanship, they were still formidable weapons capable of bringing down a well-earned meal.

Souvenir Metal Hatchet

The story of young George Washington cutting down his father's cherry tree and confessing "I cannot tell a lie" has become one of America most enduring folk legends. Beginning in the late 1800s, enterprising merchants played upon this story and began peddling novelty hatchets made of metal, paper and even glass. These came in a range of sizes from as large as a real hand axe to as small as a lapel pin. Most bore a profile image of George as an adult or contained those famous words of his youth, while others were simply decorated in red, white, and blue.

Novelty metal hatchet This small hatchet found at Ferry Farm may date to the somber 1899 memorial activities commemorating the 100 year anniversary of Washington's death or to the more joyous bicentennial celebration of George's birthday in 1932. Undecorated and crudely cast in lead, this little hatchet may have been intended as a toy and may have even been made locally. Although, a little damaged during its time in the ground, we are confident that the hatchet was surely missed by its owner and that it is not the tool of George's juvenile mischief.

Staffordshire Figurines

Figurine fragments Humans have fashioned figurines for thousands of years. Among other things, figurines have been used for magical purposes, the glorification of self, the veneration of deities, or even simple pleasure. Pieces of two ceramic figurines were unearthed near the remains of a large cellar at Ferry Farm, and appear to have belonged to George's mother, Mary. One of the fragments shows a hand and a sleeve.

Around 1700, potters from England's Staffordshire region began making ceramic figurines for display in homes. The figurines found at Ferry Farm are made of a ceramic called agate stoneware. Two or more different colors of clay were wedged together to produce a swirled pattern of color. White clay was mixed with manganese, cobalt or iron to produce the colored clay. The clay was then pressed into a mold, covered with a clear glaze and fired.

These stoneware figurines were referred to as "image toys" and sometimes displayed in groupings. Made by unsophisticated potters, these simple figurines represented daily routines or simple pleasures such as music making, dancing, reading, or drinking. These stoneware figurines were popular among those who did not have the means to collect the more elegant courtly porcelains from the royal manufactory at Meissen.

Etched Wine Bottle

Found near the ceramic figurines, was a wine bottle handsomely hand-etched in script with the name Joseph and the date 174?. The identity of Joseph remains a mystery.

Coin/Pendant

Silver real Found in the excavations at Ferry Farm during the summer of 2002, this silver coin (known as a Real) dates to the first half of the 18th century and originated in Potosí, Bolivia (as indicated by the letter "P" along the left edge). Called a cob coin (from the Spanish caba de barra), it was cut from a bar of silver, flattened, trimmed to the appropriate weight, polished, and then struck with texts and emblems.

Silver real The design on this side of the coin shows a Jerusalem cross surrounded by emblems of the kingdoms of Castile (castles in the upper left and lower right) and León (lions in the upper right and lower left). On the reverse, the image of two pillars above wavy lines represents the Pillars of Hercules, a romantic reference to the Straits of Gibraltar derived from Roman mythology.

Spanish coins were commonly used in colonial America throughout the 18th century and even into the nineteenth century. This coin (of comparatively low value) was at some point hammered and pierced so that it could be worn as a pendant, perhaps by one of the slaves who worked on the Washington plantation.

Wig Curlers

Ceramic wig curlers are one of the most intriguing personal artifacts found at colonial sites. Picture of wig maker From 1680 to the early 1800s, men of fashion often wore wigs of human hair, which were sometimes created from their own cropped tresses. To create the right look, wig hair was divided into sections, dampened and wrapped around ceramic curlers, such as these. Curlers were available in various sizes. The curls would be set after drying for up to a week.

The maker's mark "WB," which is stamped on the ends, indicates that these date to the 18th century, during the time when the Washington family lived at Ferry Farm. Perhaps these curlers were used to maintain wigs worn by George's father, Augustine.

Earliest Dwelling on the Ferry Farm Property

Dig site at Ferry Farm
Excavation site of earliest
dwelling at Ferry FarmThe earliest dwelling on the property, a 20 x 30 foot structure, has been located and analyzed over a two-year period. It is thought to have been built by a farmer at the beginning of the 18th century. Read more.

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