Place

John Mullen Iron Works

The iron works associated with an Edison company treasurer and Central Pennsylvania's first electric arc-lighting plant.

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Historic illustration of John Mullen and Company Shamokin Iron WorksHistoric illustration of John Mullen and Company Shamokin Iron Works.Image date unknown

John Mullen's Iron Works was experimenting with electric light before Shamokin's Edison system was complete.

Arc Light Before the Central Station

Mullen served as treasurer and a director of the Edison Electric Illuminating Company of Shamokin. His iron works installed an early arc-lighting plant and helped connect Shamokin's machine shops to the electric age.

Mullen and the Edison Company

The iron works shows that Shamokin's electrical story did not begin with one station. Industrial experiments with brilliant arc lamps helped prepare the community for a central incandescent system.

Why This Place Matters

Mullen served as treasurer of the local Edison company. Local history places a six-arc dynamo at the iron works around 1880, before the central incandescent station was complete.

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Historic labeled illustration of buildings at the Shamokin Iron Works — **Historic labeled illustration of Shamokin Iron Works buildings**Historic labeled illustration identifying buildings in the Shamokin Iron Works complex.Image date unknown

Location

Franklin & Independence Streets, Shamokin, PA