Atlantic Refining Company Delivery Wagon

Atlantic Refining Company was part of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Trust at the time this photo was taken in 1900. Yes, a two-horse team is pulling a wagon possibly full of combustible fuel. It is hard to say what is in the tank other than some petroleum distillate or by-product. It was two decades before oil heaters, and gasoline-powered engines were not common. Ford Motor Company was not yet formed, and the introduction of the Model T and the popularization of the automobile was still about eight years away. It may be carrying kerosene, which was popularly used for lamp fuel, although the incandescent light bulb had been improved and the electrification of homes had begun by this time. Photo ID: ALB31-06552.