Smudge pot

Nathan W

Bronze Member
Jan 14, 2023
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Found this along a river today. My father is 72 was with me , he said he remembers seeing these when he was a little boy and thought they looked older at that time. Does anyone know roughly the timeline for this object? It was found near civil war activity or at least close by.
 

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Found this along a river today. My father is 72 was with me , he said he remembers seeing these when he was a little boy and thought they looked older at that time.
I remember these as well. Thanks for posting.
 

Your smudge pot is quite a find! It made me think of some of the old highway night time safety markers when I was a kid. Similar, but obviously different. I always thought they looked like a fused bomb. 😂
 

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Your smudge pot is quite a find! It made me think of some of the old highway night time safety markers when I was a kid. Similar, but obviously different. I always thought they looked like a fused bomb. 😂
Found it in sandy soil, it’s not as corroded as I would be I found it where I live
 

your probably pretty close on your guess
 

I remember those too. In the Fl orange groves on chilly nights. Are they not used anymore?
 

I well remember the round "cannon ball" torches used to mark potholes and road construction/road repair sites, these were before the battery powered yellow flashing light markers usually mounted to "saw horse" type road barriers.
This is the type I saw, mostly called "Toledo Torches" because most were made by "The Toledo Pressed Steel Company" starting in 1929.

They were filled with kerosene and would burn through the night.

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Smudge pots used all the way down in south Dade County, below Miami. Most folks don't realize we got a good freeze down there once in awhile down there.
 

Found this along a river today. My father is 72 was with me , he said he remembers seeing these when he was a little boy and thought they looked older at that time.
Found this along a river today. My father is 72 was with me , he said he remembers seeing these when he was a little boy and thought they looked older at that time.
So cool! Great find
 

The knob on the shaft tends me to think it might be an oil lamp with a circular wick. I have one. By no means is it the the same, but all the smudge pots I've seen do not have any kind of adjustment knob. I am no expert..
20230312_003243.jpg
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The knob on the shaft tends me to think it might be an oil lamp with a circular wick. I have one. By no means is it the the same, but all the smudge pots I've seen do not have any kind of adjustment knob. I am no expert..View attachment 2073604View attachment 2073605
Partially correct...
Yes this is also IMO more likely / possibly a lantern base.
But SOME smudge pots did in fact have adjustable wicks.
Here is an example.

antique-vintage-smudge-pots-kerosene_1_f98b02556921f6f71cf728646b7ffd4b.jpg
 

Nice find I have heard of them, but they were a little before my time
 

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