Our search to discover the facts of the Piqua Edison Electric Illuminating Company started with the fourteen buildings that came before it. Considering that many of the buildings were built around the same time, we hoped that what we learned from these others might help us in restoring ours. An online search resulted in few pictures and at times contradictory information on site locations and order of when the stations became operational. For example, the people of Piqua had been told that their central station was the 5th or 6th in the country, contrary to information readily found on the internet. This was common with local historians - the chronological ranking of their central stations conflicted with the evolving truth. Rutgers University and The Thomas Edison Papers provided the clearest understanding of the order of the stations going operational. The table below captures the nineteen stations built from 1882-1884. The Piqua site is the 15th central station based on Edison's design, the 14th station erected as an Edison Electric Illuminating Company, and the 12th employing the more popular 3-wire system. The rate that central stations became operational grew rapidly over the next several years, with 103 North American sites lighting over 313,000 lamps by August 1887*.
Having established the order of operation, the next bit of research focused on how many of the stations below were still standing. Using Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps from the 1880s and 1890s and Google Maps (with Street View), we were able to get a fairly confident estimate of location and current status of the first eighteen sites. The central stations highlighted in red are all that is left of the first three years of construction, making the Piqua building the oldest standing Edison Illuminating Company west of Newburgh NY (site #13) along the Hudson River.
City/Town | Date Operational | Capacity (Lamps) | Location and Current Status |
---|---|---|---|
Manhattan, NY | 4 Sep 1882 | 400 | 255-257 Pearl Street - Burned in 1890 |
Appleton, WI | 30 Sep 1882 | 250 | 1st hydro-electric central station, Vulcan Street - gone |
Roselle, NJ | 19 Jan 1883 | 500 | NE corner of Locust and W. First Streets - gone |
Sunbury, PA | 4 Jul 1883 | 500 | Intersection of 4th and Vine Streets - gone |
Shamokin, PA | 20 Sep 1883 | 1,600 | Intersection of 9th and E. Commerce Streets - gone |
Brockton, MA | 1 Oct 1883 | 1,600 | 70 School Street - still standing |
Lawrence, MA | 20 Oct 1883 | 2,800 | South of Common Street, between Amesbury and Lawrence Streets - gone |
Fall River, MA | 18 Dec 1883 | 1,600 | 34 Hartwell Street - still standing |
Tiffin, OH | 6 Jan 1884 | 1,000 | In the block formed by S. Washington, Monroe, E. Perry and E. Market Streets - original bldg. gone, later additions remain |
Mt Carmel, PA | 22 Jan 1884 | 500 | 4th Street between Maple and Grape Streets - gone |
Bellefonte, PA | 5 Feb 1884 | 800 | W. Lamb Street between N. Water and N Spring Streets - gone |
Hazelton, PA | 11 Feb 1884 | 1,000 | SW corner of W. Green and N. Wyoming Streets - gone |
Newburgh, NY | 31 Mar 1884 | 1,600 | Approx. 70 Montgomery Street north of 2nd Street - still standing |
Middletown, OH | 5 Apr 1884 | 500 | On S. Water Street between 4th and 3rd Streets (3rd and S. Water no longer exist) - gone |
Piqua, OH | 30 Apr 1884 | 1,000 | 114 (formerly 118) E. Water Street, along the Miami-Erie Canal - still standing |
Circleville, OH | 14 Jun 1884 | 500 | Off an alley, east of S. Court Street, between E. Main and E. Franklin Streets - gone |
Cumberland, MD | 29 Aug 1884 | 1,200 | Union Street west of S. George Street and east of S. Centre Street - gone |
Williamsport, PA | 4 Oct 1884 | 3,200 | SW corner of W. Willow Street and W.Alley (now Govt Pl) - gone |
Ashland, PA | 11 Oct 1884 | n/a | N. 6th Street between Market and Arch Streets - gone |
16 Aug 1883 - | P.B Shaw from Edison Light Co. visits Piqua to form the Edison Electric Illuminating Co with a capital of $40,000. |
13 Sep 1883 - | Piqua Edison Electric Illuminating Co incorporated by W.P Orr, H. Flesh, G. Volney Dorsey, E.R. Farrington, H.K Wood. |
6 Dec 1883 - | Edison Installation Co. closed terms with Piqua to build on west side of Miami-Erie Canal on north side of Water Str. |
18 Dec 1883 - | Building a brick structure at the Piqua site was estimated at $2,210.00. |
19 Dec 1883 - | Edison Installation Co. closed terms for a 600 light plant at a cost of $16,631.49. |
31 Dec 1883 - | Due to a projected growing demand, Ohio Edison Electric Installation Co. estimated $22,515.52 for a 1,000 light plant. |
21 Feb 1884 - | Contract signed between Thomas A. Edison and Ohio Edison Electric Installation Co. for $23,000 for the Piqua building, a 92hp Babcock and Wilcox boiler, one 14 ½ x 13 Lawrence engine by Armington & Sims, two 500 light dynamos (10 candle power each, bi-polar “Y” direct current dynamos), all necessary meter/gauges/tools, street poles, and all wire for mains and feeders. |
3 Apr 1884 - | 150 Light poles in place with wires installed. Engine for dynamo is ready. Building under construction. |
24 Apr 1884 - | Wm Zimmerman accepted position as plant engineer. |
28 Apr 1884 - | The Edison equipment (the boiler, engine and dynamos) are started. All systems checked out. |
30 Apr 1884 - | Plant becomes operational at 8:00pm. Eight business houses illuminated with 51 lights. |
1886 - | Plant expanded with a two story addition to the front to house the office and meter room and an addition to the rear for the new boiler. A Buckeye high speed engine and two No. 12 Edison dynamos were added. |
19 Aug 1889 - | Piqua Electric Light & Power Co organized by E. Farrington/H. Wood/H. Flesh/W. Wood/L. Flesh. New company works jointly with the Piqua Edison Company, in the same building and with extensive additions to the electrical system including the use of two Thomson-Houston alternating current dynamos for street incandescent lighting, arc lamps, distant manufacturing customers, and the street railway. |
By 1892 - | Plant expands with a second addition to the back and an additional 75’ chimney. The enlarged building now houses eight dynamos, four boilers, and three 100hp engines and one 125hp engine. |
4 Sep 1899 - | Piqua Electric Light Co. decides to build larger brick plant on Sycamore Street. |
1900 - | Piqua Edison Electric Illuminating Company building is vacated |
1904 - | Piqua Electric Light Co. sold building to T.H. Norr |
1905-1923 - | Occupied by T.H. Norr roofing, blacksmith and tin shop. |
1923-1959 - | Occupied by Hall & Strohmeyer roofing and tin shop. Took ownership in 1928. |
1959-1975 - | Owned and occupied by Hardenbrook Ford as a maintenance shop. |
1976-1980 - | Used for storage |
1981 - | Occupied by Gold Kiln |
1983-1984 - | Occupied by Ken’s Import Service shop |
1986-2012 - | Occupied by Weaver’s Color Center |
2012-present - | Undergoing Restoration |
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