Barkers of Branford: Electricity Comes To Branford Part I

The following is an excerpt from the book. Details at www.BarkersOfBranford.com

ELECTRIC POWER COMES TO BRANFORD

Branford, along with many other cities across the nation, awoke to the dawn of the Age of Electricity. In 1895, a group of local Branford residents led by Alden M. Young secured a state charter for the Branford Electric Company as an electric and water utility. They constructed a plant on East Main Street at the Branford River. On the same site today stands the electric power grid substation for what was Connecticut Light and Power and now Eversource, its successor.

Llewellyn lived very near the site and he and his neighbors followed the construction closely. He often walked down to the site where the Branford River crossed under East Main Street to survey the progress.

“We went down to the Electric Light plant to see the foundation and boilers” 7/7/1895

“went over to the Electric plant to see about raising the smoke stack. They raised it about 6 oclock” 8/5/1895

Llewellyn’s life was about to be directly impacted by the new technology. Did he see "The Age of Electricity" as a good thing? See next installment.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Ted Braun's book “The Barkers of Branford: Life in America Through a Local Lens” is available for $30 at the Blackstone Library in Branford. Details at www.BarkersOfBranford.com