Gas house explosion

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

By the mid-1800s, many American towns and cities had installed gas pipelines to illuminate their streets and buildings. This gas plant in South Deerfield, Massachusetts, was located on Elm Street, near the Hotel Warren. On the evening of March 8, 1908, workers and the president of the company hurried to the gas house to investigate a reported malfunction. Tragically, the lighted lantern they carried ignited escaping gas as soon they opened the door to the gas house. All three men died in the resulting explosion. The adjacent building, which housed a pool parlor and a barber shop, as well as a private residence, sustained heavy damage. By the turn of the 20th century, electricity replaced gas as a light source in larger towns and cities. People in rural areas continued to depend on candles and kerosene to light their homes.

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Details

Item typePhotograph
PhotographerForbes Kodak Man
Date1908
PlaceSouth Deerfield, Massachusetts
TopicArchitecture, Buildings
Science, Technology
Commerce, Business, Trade, Consumerism
Death, Cemeteries, Monuments, Memorials
EraProgressive Era, World War I, 1900–1928
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatPhotography
Catalog #1997.08.01.0035
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Forbes Kodak Man, photographer. Gas house explosion. Photograph. 1908. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/1997-08-01-0035/. Accessed on December 8, 2024.

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