President’s House Site, INHP

back to PAF HOME

back to Project Report Index

back to Archaeological Sites of Interest

View of the archaeological excavation of the President's House Site in Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with the Liberty Bell Pavilion and Independence Hall in the background.

During the last decade of the 18th century (1790-1800), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania served as the capital of the United States of America. During this period, a property in the center of the city was rented to serve as the executive residence and office—the equivalent of today’s White House. Most of President George Washington’s first term of office, and all of his second term, was spent at this property which was comprised of a grand townhouse with several outbuildings, including a detached kitchen, stable, smoke house, and an ice house. President John Adams served three of his four years as President here as well, before becoming the first President to occupy what is now known as the ‘White House’ in Washington D.C.

Historical records show that President Washington brought nine enslaved persons from his private plantation home in the Commonwealth of Virginia to the new Executive Mansion (‘the people’s house’.) These individuals—Austin, Paris, Hercules, Christopher Shields, Richmond, Giles, Oney Judge, Moll, and Joe—lived and labored within the Executive mansion structures. Washington had the existing property altered to accommodate them as well as more than a dozen indentured and free laborers, members of his family, and members of his staff. President Adams, who served after Washington, did not own enslaved people.

An archaeological excavation conducted in the late winter through the late summer of 2007 explored this site. The project was undertaken as a partnership between the National Park Service and the City of Philadelphia in response to public demands that the planned development on the site—a new exhibit building to house the Liberty Bell—include a full discussion of the fact that President Washington kept enslaved people in the Executive Mansion during his residency.

Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street addresses Philadelphia residents at a ground-breaking ceremony for the President's House Site archaeological excavation in 2007.

Excavation of the site began on March  21st, 2007, following a public opening ceremony featuring then mayor John F. Street, and concluded with a closing ceremony on July 31st, 2007, after which the site was reburied (resealed). The extraordinary public interest in the site was evident from the inception of the project. A public viewing platform, open to the public whenever active excavation was underway, attracted large crowds. Over a quarter of a million people visited the site during the archaeological dig. The public’s interest was mirrored in the media. Coverage, both print and electronic, was featured in outlets from across the country and the world. 

Archaeological findings at the site yielded surprises about the house and helped elucidate what life was like for both the enslaved and the free members of the household. The surviving structural remains of the house and its outbuildings exceeded expectations and revealed details of the property that, despite extensive historical research, were previously unknown. Once exposed, the network of masonry walls and foundations painted a picture of the strict hierarchical nature of 18th century America. Against this emerging backdrop, the project’s archaeologists, including both staff and volunteers, explained the finds and their importance to the public in real-time, as they were uncovered. This ad hock interpretation of site features was contextualized with discussion of what was known about the lives and activities of those who had lived on the site.

In-ground exhibit of archaeological remains of the President's House in Philadelphia.

Today, adjacent to the pavilion housing the Liberty Bell and interpretation of its history and significance, is The President’s House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation —an outdoor exhibit that examines the paradox between slavery and freedom in the founding of the nation. Open air exhibits tell the story of the site and its inhabitants, with a focus on the nine enslaved people brought to the site during George Washington’s tenure. Some of the most significant finds from the 2007 archaeological excavation are preserved for viewing by the public under a glass pavilion on the site. This last feature was added to the site design following public insistence that the physical remains of the site revealed during the excavations that had so galvanized public interest not be completely reburied and, again, rendered invisible. Aside from the powerful story they tell, these preserved and visible physical remains stand as testament to the power of archaeology to connect people with their past.

The Archeological Report for the President’s House Site

Click here to read the report: The Archeology of Freedom and Slavery: Excavations at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia

Prepared for National Park Service and City of Philadelphia, by URS Corporation (Douglas Mooney, Ingrid Wuebber, and Cheryl Janifer LaRoche), National Park Service (Jed Levin), and Independence National Historical Park (Patrice L. Jeppson, Joe Roberts, and Karen Lind Brauer). November 2009, Revised September 2023.

Table of Contents for the report entitled "The Archaeology of Freedom and Slavery: Excavations at the Presidents House Site in Philadelphia.

Additional Information about the President’s House Site from Independence National Historical Park (US Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service):

Interpretive graphic of President's House archaeological remains labeled with dates and functions.

President’s House Controversy & Archeology: Some Key Published Sources (INHP, Updated: 11/2016)

Selected Information from Multiple Sources:

Other Research Reporting about the President’s House Site…


by