Known Information
Benj. Franklin Fountain is listed as a lamplighter in the 1870 City Directory.
Sources
Newspapers
Evening Star
Washington, District of Columbia
26 Mar 1870, Sat • Page 4
National Republican
Washington, District of Columbia
03 Dec 1868, Thu • Page 3
National Republican
Washington, District of Columbia
20 Jul 1869, Tue • Page 4
Evening Star
Washington, District of Columbia
07 May 1870, Sat • Page 2
Evening Star
Washington, District of Columbia
05 May 1870, Thu • Page 1
Lamplighters worked at dusk and at dawn, walking the streets of their ward. At the top of the pole, under the lamp, was a bar where they would lean their ladder allowing them to climb to the lamp. In the 1860s, there were two appointed lamplighters for each ward, though bills were proposed that if there were more than 200 lamps, additional lamplighters would be appointed. In 1869, an act was introduced setting the salary of a lamplighter to $600 per annum and separating the appointment of lamplighters from the geographical boundaries of the Wards. They had been receiving a salary of $40 a month ($480/year).
Mayor Sayles J. Bowen, Radical Republican
In 1868, Sayles J. Bowen was elected mayor of DC. He was a Radial Republican who supported educational and economic opportunities for the Black citizens of the District, including the thousands of refugees who had come to the District during and after the Civil War. Bowen Road, in Anacostia, (now Alabama Ave) was named for him. Upon his election in 1868, he filled 30 percent of his administration with Black individuals. Additionally, Bowen inaugurated massive public works projects in the city, building sewers, sidewalks, smoothing roads, etc. This was critical for economic opportunities for working class Washington as there wasn’t an industrial base and unskilled and skilled laborers relied on public works project for employment. His work was criticized by the Democrats and white supremacists who saw his spending and support of Black citizens as wasteful. In actuality, the employment opportunities provided by his administration allowed for a “nest egg” and “modest little homes”.
Among Bowen’s appointees were lamplighters for the wards and he appointed Benj. F. Fountain as lamplighter for the Third Ward in 1868 and again in 1869.
To read more about race and politics in DC, I highly suggest the book Chocolate City by Chris Myers Asch and George Derek Musgrove.
Asch, Chris Myers, and George Derek Musgrove. 2019. Chocolate City A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation’s Capital. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
1870 Mayoral Campaign
In 1870, the mayor’s seat was once again up for election, and the Republicans met in May 1870 to determine their candidate. Among the delegates for the Third Ward, was B. F. Fountain.
Further Research Needed:
- Identify if the Fountains were able to purchase property
stories of Then 