Photo Hunters: Electric

This is a very fun theme this week. I had a lot of fun with this one!

The first photo is of a “gasoliere.” They are very rare. We saw one at the Madison County Historical Association. Can you guess what it is?

It’s a light fixture that was fueled both by gas (natural gas) AND electricity. Before electricity came to the area, people lit their chandeliers with gas. Some very brave reckless folks didn’t want to ditch their beautiful chandeliers, so they converted the gas fixtures to take both electricity and gas. (Electricity back in the late 1800s was rationed– it only ran for two hours in the evenings; therefore the people ran gas for most of the evening, and electric for a few hours). The electric wiring was snaked into the same pipe as that which the gas ran through. Today, such a thing would be unheard of, because a spark from the electric wires could cause a tremendous gas explosion. Yikes! Read more

Photo Hunters: Ruin(ed)

Ah, this week’s theme is right up my alley! New York State seems to be filled with all sorts of ruins! And the politicians seem bent on making more!

I like old places. Here are some ruins we’ve visited in the past.

There’s the old pipeline at the Trenton Falls Hydro-electric power plant in Barneveld, NY. Over a century ago, a system of concrete, steel, and wood (the enormous pipes were actually wood!) tried to harness the magnificent falls to supply power to this area of the Mohawk Valley. Of course, the wooden pipes are long gone and there’s a steel system in place now. But the old ruins remain. These are some of the old concrete supports. You can see more photos and read about our visit here.

Below is the Old Main- the old Utica Lunatic Asylum in Read more