In the wake of urban renewal demolitions, excavations by the Smithsonian Institution on the 300 and 400 blocks of King Street were the first archaeological activities (1965- 1973) in Old Town Alexandria. The ceramic assemblage recovered from these sites was heralded to be the largest collection of Staffordshire wares yet unearthed in the U.S.

The many ceramics found on the sites of old taverns were featured in an exhibit at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum in 1993. A well for the storage of natural ice was uncovered beside the foundation of Gadsby’s at this time, and it can be seen today in its preserved state.