Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Dig ends at site where George Washington kept slaves
Archaeologists have finished a dig that discovered where George Washington kept slaves while he served at the first president of the United States.

Officials held a ceremony Tuesday to mark the end of the dig, which revealed remnants of a hidden passageway used by Washington's nine slaves so that guests would not see them slipping in and out of his house.

Washington lived at what is now called the President's House during his presidency in the 1790s, when Philadelphia was the U.S. capital. The house is just yards (meters) away from the Liberty Bell, one of America's most enduring symbols.