evening was a time to spend with family. it would be very unusual for anyone to come calling to the front door after the sun had gone down.
it’s entirely possible that the house would have had a fixture to light up the stained glass above the entry, but no lighting (especially gas lighting) on the porch ceiling.
it seems like you constantly discover something new, surprising or wonderful about the cross house. it will be interesting to hear what you discover from your detective work above the porch roof.
yes, the vestibule (between the two sets of entry doors) did have a gas/electric ceiling fixture, and this lighted the stained-glass above the 