In 1816, Baltimore, MD was the first US city to have gas lighting.  Using gas for lighting quickly spread to other cities and it was very common throughout the rest of the 19th century.  The gas was manufactured from the gasification of coal.  Late in the 19th century,  natural gas began to replace the “coal gas”. Gas lighting was installed in factories, apartment buildings and homes.  Gas lights along city streets ...

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I recently posted about whether to repair or replace plaster walls in older homes when they start to crack and show their age. I argued that while repairing cracks is possible, if arduous, it's often easier over the long run to replace the plaster with drywall. Reader Andy Fisk rightly pointed out that "easier" isn't something that old house owners embrace, or even comprehend. (If you doubt me on this, check out this post ...

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In the early part of the twentieth century, there were several types of wall board materials that were quite different than the traditional interior wall finish - plaster.  Most were made with compressed wood fibers or pulp. Some were smooth-surfaced, some manufactured with a wood grain texture and some were striated to look like boards.  The wall boards were simply nailed to studs and joists in unfinished work or nailed ...

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