Rare! Hand-forged iron Revolutionary War Trivet recovered at Williamsburg, VA

Offered here is a very difficult Civil War relic to find, it is an excavated iron trivet. It is crudely hand-forged in a triangular shape and measures approximately 7” wide and stands 2” high. These trivets were used by soldiers over their campfire to support their kettles and pans when cooking. This example isn't very large, so a soldier could take it with him when breaking camp. This trivet was found at Williamsburg, VA.

Williamsburg was the capital of the Virginia colony from 1699 until 1779. Plotted on land first used by Virginia Indians, it was settled by the English during and just after the Second Anglo-Powhatan War (1622–1632) and called Middle Plantation, for its location equidistant between the York and James rivers. In subsequent years, wealth and political prestige gradually shifted upriver from the first seat of English government, at Jamestown, and talk of moving the capital gained momentum during Bacon’s Rebellion (1676–1677), when rebels burned the statehouse.

During the American Revolution (1775–1783), Virginia’s royal governor dissolved the General Assembly and fled the city. After British troops invaded Virginia in 1779, Governor Thomas Jefferson moved the capital to Richmond.

As I mentioned, these trivets are rare, most disintegrated from daily use over an open fire. This example remains very solid, having only slight surface rust, no chipping or flaking. You won’t see many of these offered for sale, so take advantage of the opportunity. They go well with a display of a soldiers personal items.