What We Did Before

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The Last Lamplighter of Boston

The Last Lamplighter of Boston10 aug15 min

While most American cities had switched to electric streetlights by the 1920s, a handful of gas lamps remained—and someone had to light them. Meet John O'Connor, Boston's last lamplighter, who climbed ladders with a wick and pole every evening for forty years, becoming a living relic in a world that had moved on without him.