"What is it?" Wednesday: Cast Iron Pot

This week's installment of "What is it?" Wednesday is a true mystery. 

During a visit to the Amelia Island Museum of History, museum staff asked me to help identify this whole artifact.  The pot is heavy!  It is clearly cast iron with intricate designs.  There are geometric patterns around the rim and ivy like leaves in raise relief on the body.  The handle across the top is molded in the form of a branch or twig.  While to me it looks like a pot for cooking or warming, there was no sign of singe or being burned.

Mystery pot with ruler for scale.


So...

WHAT IS IT???