Oak glass case fragment

English "glass cases" were used for the storage of glasses, table garniture and pots. This fragment of the front of a glass case is the only New England example known and was made in Rowley, Massachusetts circa 1680. This piece was identified, using microanalysis, as being made of red oak, which was native to the Rowley/Topsfield area (red oak is nearly extinct in the area). The original use of the piece was identified by scholar Robert Trent.
Courtesy of Topsfield Historical Society