It's a story of dreams realized and an emergence of the cooperative as a business model that has stood the test of time. But the story of rural electrification is about much more than lights blinking on across rural America. Even today, many of these rural residents remember the moment and the place, the lights came on. The spread of electricity is credited by many born before World War II as the most significant event in their lives. Photo Courtesy: NRECA originaldate 6:00:00 AM width 2267 height 2226 An early Tri-County EMC crew gathers for a photo.Įlectricity is so intertwined in modern lives that only in its absence do we truly appreciate its existence. No more heating a metal iron up on the fire. The women of the house were happy to have electricity to make household chores easier. Photo Courtesy: The Eatonton Messenger originaldate 6:00:00 AM height 2357 width 1380 orientation 1 camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CS5. originaldate 6:00:00 AM width 564 height 428 In addition to appliance demonstrations at Annual Meetings, the cooperative also scheduled appliance demonstrations throughout the county to demonstrate at-home uses of electricity. In early cooperative days, construction of power lines was a difficult job with all work being done by hand. originaldate 6:00:00 AM height 3298 width 2550 orientation 1 camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CS5. While its main purpose was to communicate cooperative news, it was also used to communicate national news - especially during wartime. Photo Courtesy: NRECA originaldate 6:00:00 AM height 2400 width 1822 orientation 1 camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop Elem Tri-County’s monthly newsletter, Current Lines, was first published in August of 1941. The above poster displays the convenience and ease that is brought into individuals homes with electricity. Photo Courtesy: The Jones County News originaldate 6:00:00 AM height 780 width 767 orientation 1 camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CS5. The Jones County News reports in 1940 that power lines in Gray were being surveyed and staked in Gray and a Jones County office was opened. originaldate 6:00:00 AM height 752 width 743 orientation 1 camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CS5. The first satellite office of the cooperative was located in downtown Eatonton. originaldate 6:00:00 AM height 1040 width 1030 orientation 1 camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CS5. While the building still stands today, the Tri-County office was relocated in the 1960s. The first Tri-County EMC office was located on Hwy 22 between Gray and Haddock. originaldate 6:00:00 AM height 457 width 1710 orientation 1 camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CS5. If members had an outage, they reported it to the linemen at home. Photo Courtesy: NRECA originaldate 6:00:00 AM height 2400 width 1857 orientation 1 camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop Elem Before Tri-County had a dispatch center that could take after hours calls, linemen had their personal 4-digit telephone numbers listed in Current Lines each month.
Posters like the one shown were displayed throughout rural America. Photo Courtesy: NRECA originaldate 6:00:00 AM width 2835 orientation 1 height 2238 Individuals were excited about the prospect of electricity coming to their towns. Photo Courtesy: NRECA originaldate 6:00:00 AM width 2186 orientation 1 height 2823 A rural class learns about electricity during the 1930s. ” Electricity brought more than just light to homes in rural America. An early slogan of Tri-County EMC was “A light in every home puts a light in every heart.
Photo Courtesy: The Eatonton Messenger originaldate 6:00:00 AM height 1664 width 672 orientation 1 camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CS5. Of the 242 lines planned, 90 were scheduled to be built in Putnam County. Photo Courtesy: NRECA originaldate 6:00:00 AM height 2400 width 1681 orientation 1 camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop Elem The Eatonton Messenger reported in 1940 that the construction contracts were ready for the erection of Tri-County Lines. It would be four more years before a group of members would come together to form Tri-County EMC. Roosevelt signed the executive order that established the REA on May 11, 1935. Photo Courtesy: NRECA originaldate 6:00:00 AM width 2862 orientation 1 height 2207 President Franklin D. Roosevelt addresses a crowd in Barnesville, Georgia regarding the importance of bringing electricity to rural areas.
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