Electricity

Electricity didn't come to Weedsport easily! For nearly ten years various factions in the village alternately favored and disapproved of the several companies requesting franchises. In several cases fie tactics of these factions approached the ludicrous.

The first proposal to the village Board for the installation o~ an electric lighting plant came from Frank Skilion and David E. French of Auburn on June 23, 1888. As the years passed the above company and many others attempted to secure the right to light the village but to no avail - until 1897.

In the meantime kerosene provided lights for the homes and streets. Mr. Menza Campbell cared for the village street lamps.

In 1893 the question of a municipally owned plant was presented to the taxpayers stud voted down. One of the obstacles to the adoption of electricity was the fear of accidents from fallen fires and from electricity itself. One franchise was granted to the Weedsport Spring Wire Trust (sic) Company - no further information as to the disposition of that franchise.

The most interesting incident in the long chain of stops and gos occurred in the siring of 1892. At that particular time interest in electricity divided the village on the basis of age. The older citizens generally opposed the new idea but the younger set was in favor. Only problem - tax payers (landowners) only, were entitled to vote. So Wilbur M. Howe, Will Statham, Ernest A. Putnam, J. J. Riley and 50 other men joined together and purchased a plot of one and six-one hundreths acres of land. The property was located in the southwest part of the village and the purchase price $125o The deed was executed on May 25, 1892. The special election was held the next day and 312 people voted. But the proposition lost 192 to 120. So, hundreds of descendents of the 54 young men now own an equal and undivided part of 1.06 acres of land in the Village of Weedsport.

Finally, in December, 1897, 102 voters approved and 48 opposed the establishment of a municipally owned electric plant. J. D. Edwards of Decatur, Indiana, assumed charge of the facility. "He started selling power on April 1, 1898 at 17 cents per kilowatt hour." The organization was known as the Weedsport Electric Light Company.

In August 1915 the plant was taken over by Empire Gas and Electric Company. This concern later became New York State Electric and Gas Corporation which still serves the community. Weedsport's electric plant was located at the site of Richard Cosentino's law office, 8941 North Seneca Street. A huge smoke stack at the rear of the building was one of the village's important landmarks. It was demolished about 1986.

Percy Short, who spent many years working for New York State Gas & Electric reports the interesting technique used to get the chimney down. The contractor knocked out sections of brick near the base and shored up the holes with wood. When a sufficient portion of brick was removed the wood was fired and chimney toppled. Mr. Short also states that the North Seneca Street Building was used as a work shop, supply depot and office but never again as a distribution center for power.

Weedsport's original electrical power was generated at 25 cycles but in the spring of 1940 the company changed all motors and other equipment over to the standard 60 cycles - this at no expense to the customers. In 1965 New York State Gas and Electric closed its Weedsport office and moved all of its operations to Auburn.