By Tom Poland: A Southern Writer
TomPoland.net
My June 15 post, The Kerosene Lamp, received reader comments that deserve sharing.
Who in this era of ultra-dark-defying lighting would take the time to comment on the old kerosene lamp? Well, several did. Their responses made me glad I chose such an obscure topic and in a bonus some mentioned things from the past that will lead to new stories. Readers provide writers great ideas.
Edie R. responded . . . “This wonderful piece of nostalgia made me want to weep. Not that I’d want to go back to those days. It’s just that I remember them so well, and I truly wish my older brother and slightly younger sister were still with us so I could share this with them. The two younger sisters were very young when my mother made the big move to the City of Gaffney, where the bulb on the cord was such a blessing.”
Monya H. commented . . . “This really hit home with me. I have a small (less than 15) collection of kerosene lamps, some of which I use when the power goes out. I also was fortunate enough to inherit my Great-great-grandmother Musgrove’s family Bible and tintype albums.”
I recall seeing tintypes of my mother’s ancestors, small black-and-white photos on a small square of metal. Tintypes—another icon from the past worthy of Southern Exposure.
Betsy E. responded . . . “Jack and I had several kerosene lamps when we moved to Chapin in the 1970s and they were mighty helpful when several snow storms knocked out electricity for days. We were thankful for our wood stove and lamps to keep our family going.”
The wood stove. Yet another great item of nostalgia worthy of recall. As a boy in rural Georgia I ate many a fine meal cooked on my maternal grandmother’s wood stove.
In a detailed and surprising response, railroad man, Tom H., took me back to the days of railroads and lanterns and that song by the Police, Roxanne.
“Enjoyed the article about kerosene lamps. I remember using them during power outages, and the thing I recall most is the smell. If you didn’t keep them clean, they would stink up the whole house, which brings me to a bit of old railroad-related folklore.
“Because lamps would stink if not cleaned regularly, people back then often used a two-lamp system: inside lamps and outside lanterns. The inside lamps were used in the house and received regular cleaning. Outside lanterns, rarely cleaned, weren’t allowed indoors. Most homes in that era had a head-high peg beside the door where outside lanterns were hung before the users entered the house.
“Now, in the early days of railroading, all trains had a flagman, and every flagman carried a red-lens kerosene lantern like the one in your story. Then as now, most train crews worked a two-day, out-and-back schedule. They would leave their home terminal on a train one day, take rest at their “away-from-home” terminal, and return the next day — three nights away from home per week.
“In those early days, the railroad didn’t provide lodging for crews at the away-from-home terminal. Instead, they paid a small stipend (or per diem), and each employee was responsible for finding his own place to stay. Most often, they stayed in local boarding houses, which sometimes offered more than just food and lodging. Boys will be boys, you know.
“So, if you were new to town and looking for some after-hours action, you’d look for a house with red lanterns hanging on the peg by the door—that’s where the railroad men were staying, and often, where the local ladies of the night could be found. Those red railroad lanterns, some say, were the origin of what we now call the red-light district.
“Standard time and track gauge weren’t the only things the railroads gave America.”
Tom’s right. Roxanne, are you reading? “You don’t have to put on the red light. Those days are over.” So goes the song.
