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Original finial from the Magazine
Original finial from the Magazine

Original finial from the Magazine

Date1715
OriginAmerica, Virginia, Williamsburg, Magazine
MediumWood: oak.
Dimensions2' 7 3/4" x 1' 1/4" x 10 1/4"
Credit LineDonated to the Colonail Williamsburg Foundation by the Association for Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA).
Object numberAF-12.9.2
DescriptionOnly a little over half of the original oak finial remains. The material loss begins at the original interior channel that accommodated the lightning rod and moves outward, leaving a gap between the two remaining quarters of the piece. The finial appears to have been hand-carved in the shape of a walnut with a small lip underneath. The base of the piece (beneath the nut shape) flares outward. There is a large square hole near the bottom of the walnut section where the original weathervane was originally inserted.
Label TextThis is the original finial from the 1715 Powder Magazine, which still stands in the center of the Historic Area, used to support the original weathervane rod. Removed due to damage sustained during the 1889 roof fire, it was kept in storage by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities until it was gifted to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in the 1980s.
ProvenanceThe Magazine