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President’s House Archeological Dig
Photo by J. Smith for GPTMC
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Dr. Cheryl LaRoche, an archeologist working on the dig at the President’s House Commemorative Site, explains the significance of the ongoing excavation to some of the site’s many daily visitors. To spread the story to all who come to hear it, National Park Service rangers offer interpretation services daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The archeologists have uncovered some unexpected finds, including foundation walls, a tunnel (thought to be used by the enslaved to get to the main part of the house) and a bowed window wall (believed to be the prototype for the Oval Office at the White House). Slated to debut in fall 2008, the site will honor the people who lived and worked at the former Executive Mansion, among them at least nine enslaved people of African descent held by President George Washington from 1790 to 1797.
Photo by J. Smith for GPTMC