Charles Hendrickson (1827-1902)
Burial[]
He was buried in the Pennington African Cemetery, Pennington, New Jersey. "Charles Hendrickson is buried here. He lived on Burd Street. He was Pennington's lamplighter for a long time. Each evening, he lit the gas lamps that lined the streets in the days before there was electric street lights."
Biography[]
From Hopewell Valley by Lorraine Seabrook and Jack Seabrook: "Charles Hendrickson, lamplighter. Known in Pennington as "Heavy Dick," Hendrickson was born c. 1825 near Allentown. He lived there till age 21 and then spent time in Princeton and the village of Hopewell before settling in Pennington in 1870. The June 1870 census of Hopewell Township lists him as a waiter in the Swan Hotel, and he subsequently found employment as a driver, taking passengers to and from train stations for several years. He also delivered mail and carried express packages all over the township. In the late 1890s, street lamps were installed in downtown Pennington, and Hendrickson was hired as the borough's first lamplighter. He is shown in this photograph on South Main Street, in the process of cleaning out one of the lamp's glass globes. He is said to have taken great pride in his lamps, and stories are also told of the many clever gadgets he invented as laborsaving devices in his home. His career as lamplighter was brief but memorable, ending with his death in 1902."