This crate was submerged in the mud of the James River for years so it is well preserved. There is not much swelling of the wood and it is still held together by the original nails. One of the side panels has two small sections of wood missing. The first meas. approx. 2.75 inches x 1.25 inches. The second is approx. 3.25 x 0.50 an inch. The opposite side panel has a small chip as well. This meas. approx. 2.00 x 0.50 an inch. Also, three-quarters of one of the handles has come off but is present inside the crate. The opposite handle is still firmly in place. The crate has been stabilized and should hold together for years to come.

With the crate comes the warped lid. The warping of the wood has caused some scattered splits and one crack across its width. This crack does NOT go all the way through to the opposite side so the lid is still very rigid. Faintly visible but very readable on the underside of the lid is “WASHINGTON ARSENAL MARCH 1862” in half-inch letters. Scattered along the edges of the crate is what appears to be light mildew. This can easily be cleaned without doing any damage to the crate. This item is from the collection of author Dean Thomas.

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