LOCATION, SPECIFICATIONS & BACKGROUND INFORMATION


     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.

  brief history of the Piqua Edison Electric Illuminating Company

Edison Central Stations
Piqua Edison Electric Illuminating Company - 1884
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


Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps - Piqua
* the electrician and electrical engineer, volume vi, page 62, November 1887

The Piqua Edison Electric Illuminating Company

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