Illuminating Gaslight
Gas lamps illuminated Baltimore streets in 1817 after a dazzling art museum demonstration.
America’s first public street lamp (fueled by manufactured gas) illuminated Market Street in Baltimore, Maryland, on February 7, 1817, making the Gas Light Company of Baltimore the first U.S. commercial gas lighting company. A replica of the original street lamp, which burned gas distilled from tar and wood, was erected there a century later. (more…)