The First Street Lights

Some time during the late 1870s or early 80s, the town decided that some sort of street lighting system was needed. A few kerosene burning lamps were purchased and placed at the corners of the business district. Later they were extended to the residential part of town and set about three or four blocks apart. The lamp was a square steel frame with glass enclosing a large wick, and mounted on a ten foot post.

The oil for fuel was contained in a pint can that was inserted upside down on the top of the lamp in such a manner that the oil fed down to the wick. A full can was put on the lamp and lit each evening by someone employed by the town.

Corner street light, lit by the village lamplighter every evening.

Samuel Dunlap was the first person to fill this position. Later Curt Roberts had a route for lighting and extinguishing the streetlights in town. Their equipment consisted of a small ladder, a can of kerosene, and draped around their shoulders was a bandoleer or belt on which was hung the little fuel cans.

About twilight each evening, winter and summer, he could be heard approaching by the clanking of these cans. It was usually a signal for the urchins in the immediate neighborhood to gather and follow old Sam for a few blocks to observe the lighting operation.

He placed the little ladder against the post, mounted the ladder, removed the empty can and replaced it with a full one, lit the lamp, hung the empty can on his belt, picked up his little ladder and went clanking off into the twilight to another lamp to repeat the process. The lamp burned most of the night, or until the little can of oil was consume, and it would extinguish itself. In searching through the Council proceedings from that era, the village lamplighter was paid a salary of $9.50 per month.

The light from these lamps cast a very feeble glow compared to the lights of today, but they did do much to help guide the late wayfarer over the wooden sidewalks and muddy paths around Center Point up to about the year 1911.