LARGE cast-iron stoplights I call “Wheelies” first began to show up in the late 1920s as wide boulevards began to appear and traffic got heavier. They appeared on narrower roads as well.
I initially thought that the wheel design in the ironwork was a nod to the nautical nature of NYC’s oceanside location, but many Forgotten Fans have written and said they believe it represents an automotive steering wheel.
These models were still somewhat common by the early 1960s, but by then, the guy-wired poles were supplanting them at a rapid rate.
Recently, Forgotten Fan Scott Swett passed along some photos of Main Street in Covington, Virginia, where in the 1990s, the Alleghany Historical Society (then Covington Historical Society) placed reproductions along Main Street to commemorate the town’s industrial history. Per the Historical Society, castiron streetlamps were produced by the thousands by the Covington Machine Company in the 1920s and shipped to major cities on the East Coast. This was easily accomplished as The Chesapeake & Ohio railroad ran through the city. It’s possible that all of NYC’s castirons were produced in and shipped from Covington.
Covington is Virginia’s second smallest city at under 6000 residents. It’s located in the northern part of the state on the Jackson River near the West Virginia border. I confess I had never heard of it previously, but that’s true of 98% of American towns.
Covington’s retro “Wheelies” are a near exact match of NYC’s fleeting few remains; but as you can see the mast is shorter and while the rest of the post is painted black, the actual wheels are green. Scott Swett also passed along a shot of an original Wheelie he found in his yard, placed there by the original owner when the house was built in 1924, when he purchased his property.
I wonder if the NYC Department of Transportation could acquire a batch and equip them with modern 3-color stoplights.
As always, “comment…as you see fit.” I earn a small payment when you click on any ad on the site.
2/26/25