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Baldwin EMC has been empowering members since 1937
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lectricity was nothing new in the 1930s. Thomas Edison had harnessed it to power a light bulb 50 years earlier. That was long after British scientist Michael Faraday discovered the basic principles of generating electricity in 1831. Even before that, in 1752 Benjamin Franklin’s famous kite experiment proved that lightning was electric. In spite of all this, for the rural families of south Alabama, electricity wasn’t a part of their lives. For them, the days were long and life was hot. They weren’t alone, as this was the case for most of America’s rural areas.
80 Years at a Glance 6 APRIL 2017
1937:
Federal Funding
On May 11, 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt created the Rural Electrification Administration, which was followed the next year by the passing of the Rural Electrification Act. The REA, as it came to be known, provided federal funding for the creation of electrical distribution systems to serve America’s rural areas. Investor-owned utilities, which had served more prosperous regions for decades prior, weren’t interested. After all, what
1941:
Members agree to pay Baldwin EMC established minimum bill of $1.95/month
1939:
Baldwin EMC converted to a cooperative
1950s:
1968:
Gulf Shores district office opened
Baldwin EMC surpasses 1,000 miles of line
1972:
profit was there to be gained from serving farmers and ranchers, who at that point were still reeling from the effects of the Great Depression? If rural families were to gain access to the electrical comforts being experienced by their affluent neighbors, they would have to take matters into their own hands. In Baldwin County, the first to do so was Frank Earle of Blacksher, P.A. Bryant of Stockton, Alton Hankins of Robertsdale, Frank Hoffman of Elberta, and Tom Steele Jr. of Bon Secour, who formed what
1974:
District office in Bay Minette opened
Headquarters relocated from Robertsdale to Summerdale
1989:
System Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) software installed
1979:
Hurricane Frederic makes landfall, Baldwin EMC experiences a 100% outage
1995:
24-hour control center established
1994:
Baldwin EMC begins offering DirectTV services for members www.alabamaliving.coop
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