|
Designed by TimeMaster Will Sanders |
|
Longest Burning Light Bulbs. Roadside America
Light Bulb Methuselahs "The light once lit shall never dim But through all time shall honor him."
Another old lamp that is worthy of recognition also sheds some light on what Livermore and Forth Worth must have been like before their bulbs became famous. It is in a fire station, built in 1912, in the prairie town of Mangum, Oklahoma. Mangum feels no need to measure itself against others, and has been content to keep its bulb to itself. There are no webcams here, no glass display cases. The bulb doesn't even have a name. Locals refer to it simply as "the bulb." No one knows for sure when the bulb was turned on. Best guesses range from 1926 to 1929, with most folks favoring the more recent years. "When you put a light bulb in, you don't typically give it much thought," explained Louise Price, the former city manager.
The bulb had attracted local attention as early as the 1940s, as the others around it flickered and died while it kept glowing. It was moved to a corner of the upstairs dormitory in the 1960s, and for a time the firefighters covered it with black paint so that they could sleep. (A shade now serves that purpose.) There is no separate electricity supply here, and no rheostat to smooth out power surges. When the juice goes off, the bulb goes off; when it comes back on, the bulb does too. A big storm in 1994 shut off electricity for a week, but afterward the old light roared back to life just like all the others. Mangum is a mere 200 miles northwest of Fort Worth and its Eternal Light. This means that the interested traveler can see two of the world's oldest working light bulbs in one day on a single tank of gas. To recap: Livermore, CA (turned on 1901-1905) Forth Worth, TX (turned on 1908) Mangum, OK (turned on 1926-1929)
The Bulb: 201 N Oklahoma Ave, Mangum, OK [Show Map] Directions: Southwest corner of Oklahoma, near the Texas border. I-40 exit 32, then south 35 miles on Hwy 34 into town. The Fire Station is two blocks west of Hwy 34, at the corner of Pierce St. and Oklahoma Ave. Fire Station No. 1 Phone: 580-782-3216
|
