Taking Care of Business

New in '22! Businesses in Hamilton that have opened or are coming soon.

Small Businesses

MUNICIPAL BREW WORKS–SPOOKY NOOK

FLYING ACE EXPRESS CAR WASH

18.

Coming

15. The Landing

16. Tide Pool/Welcome

17.

Coming

1. Pinball Garage

2. Forklift & Palate

3. Sara’s House

4. Petals + Wicks

Coming Soon–Chains

1. Ace Hardware

2. Panda Express

3. Starbucks

History of Hamilton’s Electric

Utility

 “TONIGHT WE TURN A LEVER and press a button and behold, the heavens are ablaze with light!" proclaimed Nelson Williams, a lawyer, civic leader, and feature speaker of the Great Electric Light Celebration of 1895. The occasion was to earmark the completion of the first municipal power plant on North 3rd Street.

The modern marvel of a facility featured a pair of arc lighting machines providing 120kW of electric power and three Corliss engines manufactured by Hamilton’s own Hooven, Owens, & Rentschler Company. Electricity was set to be a huge benefit to Hamilton residents as it was expected to provide residential lighting at 40 percent the cost of gas and to be available 24/7. At the time, gas lighting was only available through a private company from twilight until midnight each day.

A parade, band concert, and official program around the Butler County Courthouse kicked off the celebration that was accented with a 50-gun salute, ringing fire bells, and fireworks. And, as promised, with the turn of a lever and a push of the button, the first 215 city street lights “set the heavens ablaze with light.”

Over the next 50 years, Hamilton’s electric generation grew in step with the growth of demand and soon the scale of our systems called for increased connection with the regional grid. Today, Hamilton meets our customer energy needs through a well diversified generation portfolio that includes rights to power and generation that we own and operate, located throughout the midwest. Hamilton relies on our in-city generation assets primarily to provide support on peak power usage days. Days which now demand in excess of 1,000 times more energy than the inaugural plant was capable of.

Sustainability Built In

 HAMILTON HAS LONG BEEN a leader in renewable energy, focused on the