On May 11, 1888, the South Haven lighthouse “gas-machine” was lit for the first time. In fact, it was the first time any lighthouse in the United States had been lit with this technology. All eyes stared at the flame created by a mixture of gasoline and air. The observers included the 48-year-old keeper Captain James S. Donahue, the commander of the Detroit office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Major Samuel M. Mansfield, and U.S. Engineer R. J. Millar who had supervised the installation. The beauty of the sunset did not distract them from the flickering flame, the gentle roar of combustion, and the slow turning of the air pump. This was just one example of the lighting revolution of the late 1800s. Small villages like South Haven had unique experiences as municipal lighting lagged that of a metropolis. Their clubs, factories, schools, churches and streetlighting were all affected. Their stories are told in this book.