Pearl Street Station On September 4, 1882, Edison's first
central station, the Pearl Street Station, opened at 257
Pearl Street in
Manhattan. The station was the first commercial
power plant in the United States, and was the world's first
cogeneration plant. The plant burned down on January 2, 1890. Only 1 dynamo (or generator) survived; it is currently displayed at the
Henry Ford Museum. The
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers designated it as a milestone in 2011.
Other stations In November 1882, the Edison Electric Illuminating Company of
Shamokin, Pennsylvania was established. In 1883, it became only the second
three-wire electrical station in the world. The first was Edison's plant in
Sunbury, Pennsylvania, which opened on July 4, 1883. The opening ceremony was attended by Edison himself. Even today, Edison's presence is remembered throughout the town, with the
Edison Hotel and a monument just outside Sunbury. On October 1, 1883, the
Brockton Edison Electric Illuminating Company Power Station, another three-wire plant, opened in
Brockton, Massachusetts and was capable of supplying about 1600 lamps. The Brockton station is listed in the
National Register of Historic Places. On November 17, 1883, the Edison Electric Illuminating Company of
Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania was founded. This was the first isolated electrical plant in the world, meaning that the entirety of Mount Carmel was powered by electricity. 38
arc lamps and 50
incandescent light bulbs were erected in the downtown business district. Edison also opened plants in
Fall River, Massachusetts (1883),
Cumberland, Maryland (1884),
Tamaqua, Pennsylvania (1885), and
Boston (1886).
Fate The Edison Illuminating Company was purchased by Consolidated Gas in 1901. In 1936, with electricity sales far outpacing gas sales, the company changed its name to
Consolidated Edison. Today, Con Ed is a multi-billion dollar company that provides power to around 3.3 million people. Occasionally, it is misreported that the Edison Illuminating Company later became
General Electric; however, they were never related aside from their common founder. == Notable employees ==