Uploaded January 2011 | Updated September 2026, 34 minutes ago
On this cold winter's evening I dug out my Grandmother's old coal oil lamp. It is hard to believe that this was the only lighting many had only 75 years ago in the rural South. I'm shown lighting it with a kitchen match, replacing the chimney, adjusting the wick for a better flame, and then blowing out the flame.
Coal oil was the Southern name for kerosene. It was used for fuel for lighting by lamp and lantern and also fuel for igniting kindling to get the fire going for home heating.
Kind of homey, isn't it?
On this cold winter's evening I dug out my Grandmother's old coal oil lamp. It is hard to believe that this was the only lighting many had only 75 years ago in the rural South. I'm shown lighting it with a kitchen match, replacing the chimney, adjusting the wick for a better flame, and then blowing out the flame.
Coal oil was the Southern name for kerosene. It was used for fuel for lighting by lamp and lantern and also fuel for igniting kindling to get the fire going for home heating.
Kind of homey, isn't it?
