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New Jersey Museum Finds Hidden Centuries-Old Wine Collection

UNION, N.J. (CBS) -- A museum in New Jersey discovered a hidden collection of wines, spirits, and cigars almost as old as the American Revolution.

Employees found the cellar in the basement of the Liberty Hall Museum in Union Township.

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It was once the home of New Jersey's first governor, William Livingston.

Inside the cellar, staff members found some finely aged wine, like a bottle of Madeira from 1796.

"These are colonial times in America so to get anything decent, you had to ship it from Europe, and Madeira traveled well," said Liberty Hall Museum Director of Operations Bill Schroh. "It's easy to bring across the ocean and it's the favorite drink of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, the folks who lived here - the Livingstons, and the Kanes. It was very popular at their tables."

Staff members think the cellar was boarded up during prohibition times.

Before you get your hopes up, the bottles will be kept as museum artifacts, never to be opened.

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