Treasure Chest Thursday- Grandpa's Lantern

Oh my. My eyes feel really weary because of the scutinization finding the production date on this lantern. I even used a magnifying glass!

Here is a picture my husband took for me the other day of my Grandfather's lantern. How did I come about getting it? About 5 years ago I was visiting my Mom and her Eldest brother in Walla Walla Washington. Mom and I went over to Uncle Jim's place and he was saying he needed to clear out the shed. I saw this cool looking lantern hanging there and said "what about that lantern?" "Oh yeah" he said, "that was Dad's. I found it hanging in the barn. Do you want it?" Of course I jumped at it.

This lantern hung in Grandpa's Davis's barn? I loved Grandpa's barn! The cousins would have sleep overs in there. The cousins would make forts out of the bales of hay. We could hear mice in there. (gross) It was a priviledge for me to acquire my Grandpa's lantern.

The other day I saw it hanging in our garage. I asked my husband to bring it in to the house so I could clean it up. It was shocking how well the globe cleaned up. It is made of really thick glass. Like coke bottle glass. This would be perfect for Treasure Chest Thursday!

I did some research. This is a New York No. 2 Dietz Blizzard lantern. The globe is a LOC-NOB Fitzall. I'm not sure what the 4H stamp stands for at this time. The patent numbers and production date were stamped onto one side of the air tube to the right of the fuel cap. They even stamped numbers on the crease! From what I can tell this lantern was produced in the Syracuse Factory #2 in August or September of 1945. That was before I was born!

Did I ever see that lantern? Did my mom or her five brothers carry this around in snow storms to check on the animals? Wow........ Thanks Uncle Jim! Of course this was the barn in Ruthven, Iowa.