Erin,
It sounds like a candle box. Candle boxes were fairly common household
objects in the Colonial period, which fits your date.  They were used to
protect the tallow candles from rodents who liked to nibble on them.  As
for the tapered wooden sticks inside, they might be candle wood. I've
never actually seen candle wood, so I couldn't say for sure.
 
Here is what Arthur Hayward says about candle wood in "Colonial and
Early American Lighting" 1962 Dover Publications:
 
"Pieces of the resinous pitch pine, so common all along the wooded New
England coast, were cut in length and size not unlike large candles and
stuck between the stones of the curde fireplaces on in improvised
holders.  They burned freely, giving quite a bright flame with, however
considerable smoke; and since the only expense was the time and trouble
of cutting and drying the wood, they were used very generally for many
years.  It was common at night to see the family gathered round the big
stone fireplace, often in the only room of comfortable size in the crude
log house. On the hearth a fire of huge logs brskly burned, and two or
three of the resinous candle-wood torches--either stuck in thes ides of
the fireplace betweenthe stones, or standing upright on the
hearth--supplemented the light from the burning logs. . . ."  (page 12)
 
Below is a link to a picture of a candle box currently on Ebay. Maybe it
will help you.
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/Wonderful-Antique-Wood-Candle-Box-Candlebox_W0QQitem
Z7353192107QQcategoryZ37943QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
 

Edith W. Brady
Curator of Education
High Point Museum
1859 E. Lexington Ave.
High Point, NC  27262
(336) 885-1859
(336) 883-3284 fax
[log in to unmask]
www.highpointmuseum.org 


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