Vigo County Historical Society
Historical Treasure Article

June 6, 1993
By Jan Buffington
Vigo County Historical Society

Lamps lit dark nights

To produce light, man first used open fires and torches. Egyptians invented the first liquid oil lamp used for artificial light. Shells, pottery and bronze were used as the dish which held liquid oil. The lamp also had to have a spout-like portion that could hold a wick. A low-grade olive oil was used in these lamps. Other vegetable oils and animal oils, including whale oil, were later used in this type of lamp.

Because there was too little combustion at the enter of the flame, these lamps smoked greatly. The candle still was the preferred method of lighting a home.

Not until the end of the 18th century did this flat wick appear. It made less smoke and controlling the amount of light produced was easier. Along with the new style of wick, a lamp was invented to hold the wick. The lamp had a base which held the liquid. Kerosene, paraffin oil or coal oil were the preferred oils used in these lamps. Compared with earlier oil lamps, these lamps were much safer, more efficient and simpler to operate.

The kerosene fed the wick by capillary action and the height was easily adjusted with a knob. This knob is the only mechanical part needed. The height of the wick controlled the lamp’s brightness by raising or lowering the wick. A glass chimney was added to these lamps. It enhanced the steadiness, brightness and cleanness of the flame.

It is not known who invented the kerosene lamp but hundreds of persons filed patent applications for modifications.

Oil lamps are still sold today. I have several, not for decoration, but for a practical use. Growing up in the country, we were without electricity during storms. (And if the storm was bad enough, for days and even weeks after the storm.) Since moving to Terre Haute, I haven’t had to use them but for a couple of hours when snakes or squirrels got into the wrong place.

Our historical treasure for this week is just one of the many kerosene lamps in the museum’s collection.

The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.


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