Power History

Electricity ushered in a transformation of American society at the end of the 19th century. Suddenly, the backbreaking work that consumed dawn to dusk for most Americans was alleviated by electric motors, dynamos and generators. Electric household appliances made it possible to heat homes, cook food, store meat and perishable items and wash clothes without the drudgery and fear of disease that had haunted previous generations.

Arc streetlighting systems lighted the night sky in every American city from coast to coast, including Columbus, Ohio. The artificial light encouraged shopowners to stay open later, and the boost in economic activity created more business for storeowners and other commercial firms. In many ways, electric streetlighting was a major factor in contributing to the vitality of American cities, providing the spur that changed America from a rural nation in the 19th century to an urban society in the 20th century. And in Columbus, Ohio, the Division of Power and Water was there a century ago, just as it is today.

Americans at the dawn of the 20th century essentially had two choices for how electric power would become a part of their lives. They could let private investment capital build the powerhouses and transmission and distribution lines that would bring electric power to their homes and businesses. Private capital had, after all, built the 19th century railroads, iron foundries, steel mills and heavy manufacturing plants that had made America an industrial giant in the world by 1899.

But there was an uneasiness in society about the unregulated nature of private capital in the 1890s. The Panic of 1893 was widely believed to have been brought about by stock and bond manipulation on Wall Street.

There was a second choice that Americans could make regarding electric power a century ago. They could build and own the electrical system themselves, as a community, and see to it that the economic benefits of electricity remained in the community rather than being distributed to distant shareholders in the form of dividends. Municipal ownership of the emerging electric utility infrastructure became a way for the citizenry to take control of its community's destiny.

In 1899, the voters of Columbus, Ohio elected to take control of streetlighting for the growing capital city at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers. One hundred years and four generations later, the Columbus Division of Power and Water of the Department of Public Utilities is ensuring that the residents of the city of Columbus enjoy safe, reliable electric streetlighting at no cost to taxpayers. For most of its history, the Division of Power and Water has paid for streetlighting through sales of electric power to customers. And as the electric utility industry enters an era of competition and deregulation that will likely transform the ways in which electric power is delivered in the 21st century, the Columbus Division of Power and Water intends to continue with its record of reliability, low prices and customer service for years to come.

The Division's mission statement sums up the philosophy of a century of service: "The Columbus Department of Public Utilities, Division of Power and Water provides reliable streetlighting for people living in or traveling through the city, with the total cost of this system supported by the sale of electricity."

C O L U M B U S D I V I S I O N O F P O W E R A N D W A T E R C E N T E N N I A L H I S T O R Y