Electricity-do you know when your family first got electric service? When was it?

Question

If you don't know, would you ask an older family member?
I'm still amazed, it's such a short time!
My grandmother's house got electricity in 1945. Her house was less than 2 miles from the nearest small town. The rural co-op charged $5 dollars to get on the list for service, then the co-op would let you know when to get your house ready. People waited 6 months to 2 years for electirc, then the co-op would finally have the wires up and ready. A lot of people wouldn't pay the $5 because they were suspicious that the electric wouldn't come through and they wouldn't get their money back.
The major electric companies didn't plan to serve rural areas at all, because they felt the profit margin was too low. Congress set the plan for co-ops to serve rural areas and gave out government grants. The first co-op in our state asked for $2 million, they got $500,000, but that was enough to get it started.
Telephone became available in 1950. Party line of course!
Live well & do good.

Answer 1

I remember in 1953 just before Christmas my Mom and Dad took me to town with them to buy a radio that "Plugged In". It seems my Dad's parents had just gotten electricity to the homestead. I was born inside the city limits of the nearest town so electricity has always been part of my life. My Dad's father died shortly after the electricity reached the farm. I don't believe he ever spoke on a telephone. My first memories of telephones was my Aunt, Mom's sister, worked for the phone company. The party line was all we knew. In fact, all but a few phones were on the "3 longs and short" ring system. Whole areas of the town shared a single line and you just didn't stay on the phone any longer than was absolutely necessary.

The first phone I ever used had a "Word" prefix. The label on the phone read "FRontier 1 - XXXX".

BTW, my father's parents never had running water in the house. They used and "Outhouse" and carried water from a spring near the house. As I recall it was about 75 yards down hill from the house. A wood burning stove for cooking and heating was all they ever knew. Their house was wrapped with tarpaper and the outside sheeting was visable from inside. No insulation or even interior sheeting. The wind literally blew through every room.

WOW! What a trip down memory lane. Your question has sent visions through my mind that I haven't thought about in years and some in decades. Thanks a million. You get a star...

Answer 2

1) 1954. I remember watching them putting in the power poles.

2) Wasn't until 1958 that our community was visited by Ma Bell. They strung the phone lines on the same poles as the power lines.

3) Remember the county paying 50 cent bounty on squirrells because the things ate the insulation off the wires and caused power outages. We probably did as much damage with our .22 rifles shooting the squirrells.

Answer 3

1935. The road they lived on didn't have a name, so the electric company gave it their name, still named so to this day.