 |
| The London Lighting Station was built in 1896 on Cherry Street. This was where the electric power was generated for London.
The City of London owned the Lighting Station, and in the 1930s sold it to the London Light and Power Co. It had just awarded Ohio Edison exclusive rights to operate a power company within the city limits. Since then, Ohio Edison, now First Energy, has provided electric to the City of London. Ohio Edison used the building on Cherry Street to house the line trucks and to store materials. They later sold the building and erected a new building on State Route 56, about three miles north of London. They later sold that building and moved the entire operation to Springfield. Several times in the 1930s and ’40s, coal was in short supply in the winter. The power was only on for certain hours, and the homeowners had to revert back to coal oil lamps and candles. This picture was taken by the late Bill Holton. Earl Ballenger is a resident of London. To share old photos, call the Madison Messenger at 740-852-0809. |
