Edison Electric Illuminating Company Power Plant

At 115 E Independence Street stood the power plant of the Edison Electric Illuminating Company of Shamokin. Local investors organized the company with $27,000 in capital and received its Pennsylvania charter on November 29, 1882.

Local Money, Edison’s System

A surviving agreement dated May 4, 1883, called for an Edison central station, underground conductors, pole lines, and capacity for about 1,600 incandescent lamps. Thomas Edison had visited Shamokin in the fall of 1882 and helped guide the company's organization.

Inside the Central Station

Historical accounts describe a one-story station with three dynamos about four feet high and a boiler house behind it near the railroad tracks. The system began operating soon after Sunbury's three-wire station opened in July 1883.

What Happened to the Site

The plant was demolished before 1900. Jones Hardware later occupied the site, and workers uncovered part of the original stone foundation during a 1953 building expansion.

Why This Place Matters

William H. Douty served as president, William Beury as secretary, and John Mullen as treasurer; Andrew Robertson, C. C. Leader, P. B. Shaw, and Holden Chester also served as directors. Edison was 35 when he came to Shamokin with Samuel Insull, who later became a major electric-utility executive. John McEliece directed motive power and machinery, with Howard Gass and William S. Hetrick assisting; William Brock became the first superintendent and manager. A 1953 newspaper account called the company the world's first electric concern established through local capital. That is a period claim rather than a settled modern ranking.