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STORY INDEX Population of Indiana's
northeast counties Tracking railroads: Longtime area auto dealers have 'seen it all' Amish continue long-held
traditions Cars accelerate lives of Noble County residents The price of cars: How much did it cost to drive one off the lot? Electric Interurban connected area to Fort Wayne, beyond LaGrange residents rally to save historic brick streets U.S. 6, Ind. 3: Kendallville's routes to growth Agriculture ever-changing, advancing in Noble County Comparisons: How far did the dollar stretch? Growing onions, peppermint made 'scents' in early 1900s The Gaby farm: A changing culture impacts 4-H County fair continues to be a big social event Thriving through the times: Downtown Kendallville adapts to a century of changes Dekko's philanthropy remains a 'valuable resource' Rinkel family still at the wheel of Greenfield Hills Commerce nothing new to Shipshewana: Town thrives as one of fastest-growing tourist areas in state Making do during the Great Depression: Retired hatchery owner recalls tough times, bright moments Mill a 'Star' business in Ligonier: Firm has been grinding wheat into flour for 113 years Elmer E. McCray had a major impact on Kendallville Richard R. Cole has long legacy Female executive has seen many changes in workforce Working women: From assisting war effort to competing in global markets Wolcottville a center of commerce, industry in 1800s Mongoquinong area was early LaGrange County commercial center 'The cheapest hired hand we ever had.' Electricity made life brighter, easier down on the farm Monument company's history set in stone Historic Corn School dates back to 1906
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'The cheapest hired hand we ever had.' Electricity made life brighter, easier down on the farm By BOB GAGEN The News-Sun
In what was probably the most constructive act of his many years in the White House, on May 11, 1935, by executive order, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Rural Electrification Administration. Just four months later "at an enthusiastic meeting of farmers in Albion," the Noble County Rural Electrification Membership Corporation was organized in anticipation of federal funds becoming available for construction of electric power lines into the countryside. Named as Noble County REMC directors at this inaugural meeting were: O.V. Borger, Perry Township; Anson Huntsman, Green; George Gilbert, Elkhart; M.E. Black, Orange; Morton Wible, Wayne; John Beck, Sparta; R.H. Buckles, York; Frank Bell, Jefferson; Roy Barhan, Allen; Ray Foster, Swan; A.E. Young, Noble, and Oscar Correl, Washington. The following year their hopes became a reality as Congress passed the Rural Electrification Act. It established a long program which would enable rural electric cooperatives such as theirs to borrow federal funds at a low rate of interest to build and manage service in their rural communities. This had become necessary since municipal electric plants had refused to extend their lines into the country, declaring that serving three farmhouses a mile, each perhaps with one or two electric lights, would be unprofitable. In 1937 and 1938 meetings were held around the county at which wiring and different uses of electricity and its costs were explained. In June 1937 it was announced that a federal loan of $75,000 had been approved for Noble County to finance construction of approximately 66 miles of rural power line to served 204 homes and buildings in Noble and nearby counties. At the same time Edmund Fritz, project superintendent of the Noble County REMC, announced that development work had begun on some 100 miles of extension of its lines, most of it into DeKalb County, which did not have an REMC. By February 1939, Fritz was able to report that more than 1,100 rural homes were "enjoying the benefits of the economical servant, electricity," with more customers being connected every day after paying a $5 membership fee. In August 1939 Noble REMC signed a contract with Miller Construction Co. of Indianapolis to construct an additional 55 miles of power line to serve 177 farms at a cost of $44,000, including meters. This growth was reflected throughout the country. While in 1935 only about 10 percent of American farms were electrified, by 1950 more than 85 percent were and today it is very close to 100 percent. As the high lines reached farm homes, electric lights were, most naturally, the first use. They freed the housekeeper from the daily chores of washing fragile glass chimneys, trimming wicks and refilling the old kerosene lamps. For those who already had electricity provided by a 32-volt gas-powered Delco plant, such as that remembered by Jack McConnell of Green Township, the new form of electricity was safer. This was tragically made evident by a story in an Albion newspaper, telling of how in April 1937 Burnell Campbell, also of Green Township, was killed while visiting friends in Lawton, Mich., when a Delco gas engine exploded while he was attempting to light it. Outside the home the electric current could shell corn, grind grain for feed, turn mixers and grindstones, operate conveyors, blowers, elevators, run crop driers, chop roughage and perform numerous other tasks. Perhaps the benefits of rural electrification were best characterized by the late Junior DeCamp, whose wife, Virginia, remembers him saying about electricity - "The cheapest hired hand we ever had." |
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