Since the discovery of the foundations of Building X at George Washington National Birthplace Monument, it appeared that we might get an answer for where the first president entered the world.

The foundation for Building X was initially excavated back in the 1930s when the Memorial House Museum was being constructed. Once construction was completed, the National Park Service turned its attention to foundations that had been discovered.

In 1936, the brick foundations were fully exposed, with many speculating that this was Washington’s birth home. Nothing was certain, however, hence the name Building X.

Another project was completed during the ’70s but yielded little evidence, if any, to prove that this structure was Washington’s birth home. That didn’t stop the NPS from referring to the location as the definitive remains of the birth home, likely due to pressure from the then-looming 1976 Bicentennial.

The past excavations were reviewed again in the 21st century as archaeological advancements and reassessments led to a reopening of the foundations for another examination, which finally took place in 2022, with the goal of shedding more light on what might be found there.

In February of this year, on Washington’s birthday, NPS revealed some important findings.

Back in its heyday, Building X would have been what the National Park Service calls “a substantial 18th-century home that, in its completed form, was intended for a gentry family.”

Although it began as a one-room structure, more and more was added on until it contained at least six additional rooms, speculated to include two entertaining rooms, passages, and two bedchamber suites on the ground floor as well as extensive cellars and additional chambers on the upper story.

The NPS noted that there were a number of other features that spoke to the unusual and upscale character of the house. These features include two “heated closets,” which could be used as small offices and study spaces. All in all, it paints a picture of a structure that was meant for a family well on its way to the upper crust.

The challenge was figuring out which part was the original and what was added. This was a massive joint undertaking that saw the National Park Service partner with the University of South Florida, George Washington’s Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, George Washington’s Ferry Farm, Colonial Williamsburg, and a number of private contractors.

To determine which part of Building X was the proverbial “original,” a number of methods and techniques were used, from examining the landscape and conducting an architectural analysis of the foundations to re-cataloging many of the collections from the structure and the surrounding area.

“What it really comes down to is how we determine that it’s the original portion,” Karen Beckherzog, the acting superintendent for George Washington’s Birthplace, said. According to Beckherzog and the NPS, another structure, known as “Building Y,” was also examined and analyzed.

“There were advancements in historical archaeology that led the staff to reexamine past excavations,” Beckherzog continued. “When excavations were being done in the ’30s, they were conducted according to the standards of their time, and those standards have changed since then. That’s why the archaeology was done again, and this is essentially a culmination of all the work that came before.”

One segment in particular, referred to as Room A, was analyzed by Willie Graham, who determined that the foundations belonging to Room A were independent of the others, allowing it to stand on its own. In short, this was probably the first portion that was constructed.

“Room A was all by itself, and then the house got built onto,” Beckherzog explained. “We’re not saying that Building X is the birthplace, but there were several building phases to create that home for aspiring gentry. But we are saying that Room A was the original phase of Building X, and we can say with conviction that Room A is where Washington was born.”