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The Gaslights of Glen Ridge in New Jersey
City close to New York City.
I lived there and people always asked me why the street was dark.
Glen Ridge, a small town, is special because it uses gaslights on almost all its streets.
This makes the town look unique and pretty at night.
In 1895, when Glen Ridge became its town, they chose to use gaslight.
By 1930, they had 666 lamps.
During World War II, gas was hard to get.
Many towns got rid of their gaslights, but Glen Ridge kept theirs.
They even got some old lamps from other places, like New York City.
The gaslights in Glen Ridge give off a soft light, like a small light bulb. It makes it a little difficult to walk around in the evening.
They turn on when it gets dark and off when it’s light, using timers.
For over 30 years, Anthony Andriocco took care of the lamps. He would climb a ladder to fix them and set the timers.
Today, there aren’t many gaslights left in the US.
Some people worry about keeping the gaslights in Glen Ridge because of the cost.
