Vigo County Historical Society

Historical Treasure Article

Historic Treasure of the Week - February 17, 1985
By Dorothy Frey
Vigo County Historical Society

Peg lamps shed better light than did candles

The need for better quality lighting than candles provided led to the invention of several types of burning fluids for lamps.

To make the fluids easier to burn, round containers for adapters were made with a peg on the bottom for insertion into a candle holder. The peg lamps were made of glass, tin and pewter. Some were fitted with a wick or wicks held in place by metal disks and cork. The burners improved the brightness of the flame.

Peg lamps will not stand upright so they were easily broken. For that reason good specimens are difficult to find. They were used form the early 1800s in tin, glass, silver, pewter and wood candleholders.

After the invention of kerosene they were used with marble, brass, glass and iron lamp bases. The one pictured is made of milk glass, the burner is missing.

The earliest glass peg lamps were free blown. Later they were blown into molds and, finally, they were machine made. Peg lamps were used into the 1900s.

The peg lamp pictured here is displayed on the mantle in the Victorian parlor in the Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St. The museum is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday through Friday.