Vulcan Street Plant
Encyclopedia
The Vulcan Street Plant is the world's first Edison hydroelectric central station. Built on the Fox River
in Appleton, Wisconsin, the Vulcan Street Plant was put into operation on September 30, 1882. According to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
, the Vulcan Street plant is considered to be "the first hydro-electric central station to serve a system of private and commercial customers in North America." It is now a National Historic Engineering Landmark
.
The Vulcan Street Plant was housed in the Appleton Paper and Pulp Company building, which burned to the ground in 1891. A replica of the Vulcan Street Plant was later built on South Oneida Street.
. Upon learning about Edison’s advances in electric light technology and electric generators, Rogers worked to bring together a group of investors in an effort to create one of the first hydro-electric central stations in the world. For this reason, the Appleton Edison Electric Light Company was formed and incorporated on May 25, 1882.
While Edison’s Pearl Street Plant was still under construction, the founders of the Appleton Edison Electric Light Company – H.E. Jacobs, A.L. Smith, H.D. Smith, and Charles Beveridge – began planning the Vulcan Street Plant.
In July 1882, an engineer named P.D. Johnston, who worked for Western Edison Light Company of Chicago during this time, visited Appleton to explain the details of Edison’s lighting system to the founders of the Appleton Edison Electric Light Company. After this meeting, the founders decided to test the viability of hydro-electric lighting by first installing it in their homes and mills.
As a result, two Edison “K” type generators were ordered. The first generator was installed in H.J. Roger’s paper mill, the Appleton Paper and Pulp Company, and is the generator that began operation on September 30, 1882. The second generator was installed in its own building on Vulcan Street and began operation on November 25, 1882.
After a few days of trial and error troubleshooting, the generator was fixed and successfully put it into operation on September 30, 1882. This was only twenty-six days after Thomas Edison began to successfully operate his steam-driven Pearl Street Plant in New York, which began operation on September 4, 1882. The output of the original generator was about 12.5 kilowatts.
The first buildings to be lit by the Vulcan Street Plant were H.J. Roger’s home, the Appleton Paper and Pulp Company building, and the Vulcan Paper Mill, which were all connected directly to the generator.
Initially, the buildings' direct connection to the generator caused many problems because the generator was directly connected to the waterwheel. The water from the Fox River did not flow at a constant rate, so the lights did not keep a constant brightness and often burnt out.
This problem was resolved by moving the generator to a lean-to off the main building, where it was attached to a separate water wheel that allowed for a more even load distribution.
During the time of the Vulcan Street Plant, voltage regulators did not exist yet. Operators had to look at the light itself to determine if it was at the proper brightness, and they adjusted the voltage according to their observations.
In addition, voltage meters did not exist at this time either, so customers were charged a flat monthly fee based on the number of electric lamps installed in their building. For this reason, many people left their lights on all night.
The original electric distribution lines in Appleton were made of bare copper. This posed many challenges in the early development of commercial electricity, because just about everything was made out of wood or other flammable materials. In fact, the wiring used in buildings was insulated by a thin layer of cotton and was fastened to walls using wood cleats. Likewise, wood was used for fuse boxes, light sockets, and switch handles.
H. J. Rogers home, which has been converted to be the Hearthstone Historic House Museum
, is still standing to this day and is one of the only surviving examples of wiring and lighting fixtures from the dawn of the electrical age. The Vulcan Street Plant and the Appleton
Paper and Pulp Company building burned to the ground in 1891, and the Vulcan Paper Mill was dismantled in 1908.
After the Vulcan Street Plant was destroyed by fire, an exact replica was built on South Oneida Street and was opened to the public on September 30, 1932. According to the minutes taken at the Appleton Historic Preservation Committee meeting on October 21, 2008, the replica of the Vulcan Street Plant was, “... painstakingly constructed duplicating all of the building's original features.”
This site was dedicated as an ASME National Historic Engineering Landmark, jointly designated with ASCE and IEEE on September 15, 1977.
Fox River (Wisconsin)
The Fox River is a river in eastern and central Wisconsin in the United States. Along the banks is a chain of cities, including Oshkosh, Neenah, Menasha, Appleton, Little Chute, Kimberly, Combined Locks, and Kaukauna. Except for Oshkosh, these cities refer to themselves as the Fox Cities...
in Appleton, Wisconsin, the Vulcan Street Plant was put into operation on September 30, 1882. According to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a professional body, specifically an engineering society, focused on mechanical engineering....
, the Vulcan Street plant is considered to be "the first hydro-electric central station to serve a system of private and commercial customers in North America." It is now a National Historic Engineering Landmark
National Historic Engineering Landmark
National Historic Engineering Landmarks are engineering achievements of historic importance that have been identified by their relevant engineering society.* American Society of Civil Engineers designates National Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks...
.
The Vulcan Street Plant was housed in the Appleton Paper and Pulp Company building, which burned to the ground in 1891. A replica of the Vulcan Street Plant was later built on South Oneida Street.
Origin
The Vulcan street plant was conceptualized by H.J. Rogers – who was the president of the Appleton Paper and Pulp Co. and of the Appleton Gas Light Co. during this time. According to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, H. J. Rogers first came up with the idea for a hydro-electric central station after talking with a friend of his, H.E. Jacobs, while they were on a fishing trip.The Appleton Edison Electric Light Company
H. E. Jacobs, who was working for Western Edison Light Company of Chicago as a licensing agent, informed H. J. Rogers about Thomas Edison’s plan for a steam-driven electric power plant in New York City called the Pearl Street PlantPearl Street Station
Pearl Street Station was the first central power plant in the United States. It was located at 255-257 Pearl Street in Manhattan on a site measuring 50 by 100 feet, just south of Fulton Street. It began with one direct current generator, and it started generating electricity on September 4, 1882,...
. Upon learning about Edison’s advances in electric light technology and electric generators, Rogers worked to bring together a group of investors in an effort to create one of the first hydro-electric central stations in the world. For this reason, the Appleton Edison Electric Light Company was formed and incorporated on May 25, 1882.
While Edison’s Pearl Street Plant was still under construction, the founders of the Appleton Edison Electric Light Company – H.E. Jacobs, A.L. Smith, H.D. Smith, and Charles Beveridge – began planning the Vulcan Street Plant.
In July 1882, an engineer named P.D. Johnston, who worked for Western Edison Light Company of Chicago during this time, visited Appleton to explain the details of Edison’s lighting system to the founders of the Appleton Edison Electric Light Company. After this meeting, the founders decided to test the viability of hydro-electric lighting by first installing it in their homes and mills.
As a result, two Edison “K” type generators were ordered. The first generator was installed in H.J. Roger’s paper mill, the Appleton Paper and Pulp Company, and is the generator that began operation on September 30, 1882. The second generator was installed in its own building on Vulcan Street and began operation on November 25, 1882.
Problems and successes
On September 27, 1882, the first generator began operation, but without success. For this reason, the man who installed the generator, Edward T. Ames, returned to Appleton in an effort to correct the problem.After a few days of trial and error troubleshooting, the generator was fixed and successfully put it into operation on September 30, 1882. This was only twenty-six days after Thomas Edison began to successfully operate his steam-driven Pearl Street Plant in New York, which began operation on September 4, 1882. The output of the original generator was about 12.5 kilowatts.
The first buildings to be lit by the Vulcan Street Plant were H.J. Roger’s home, the Appleton Paper and Pulp Company building, and the Vulcan Paper Mill, which were all connected directly to the generator.
Initially, the buildings' direct connection to the generator caused many problems because the generator was directly connected to the waterwheel. The water from the Fox River did not flow at a constant rate, so the lights did not keep a constant brightness and often burnt out.
This problem was resolved by moving the generator to a lean-to off the main building, where it was attached to a separate water wheel that allowed for a more even load distribution.
During the time of the Vulcan Street Plant, voltage regulators did not exist yet. Operators had to look at the light itself to determine if it was at the proper brightness, and they adjusted the voltage according to their observations.
In addition, voltage meters did not exist at this time either, so customers were charged a flat monthly fee based on the number of electric lamps installed in their building. For this reason, many people left their lights on all night.
The original electric distribution lines in Appleton were made of bare copper. This posed many challenges in the early development of commercial electricity, because just about everything was made out of wood or other flammable materials. In fact, the wiring used in buildings was insulated by a thin layer of cotton and was fastened to walls using wood cleats. Likewise, wood was used for fuse boxes, light sockets, and switch handles.
Fate of Appleton's first electrically lit buildings
Hearthstone Historic House Museum
The Hearthstone Historic House Museum is a historic home in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States that has been converted into a museum. On September 30, 1882, it became the first residence in the world powered by a centrally located hydroelectric station using the Edison system. At that time, the...
, is still standing to this day and is one of the only surviving examples of wiring and lighting fixtures from the dawn of the electrical age. The Vulcan Street Plant and the Appleton
Appleton
-People:* Alistair Appleton, British television presenter* Charles W. Appleton, of GE* Colin Appleton, footballer* Daniel Appleton, American publisher, 1800s founder of D...
Paper and Pulp Company building burned to the ground in 1891, and the Vulcan Paper Mill was dismantled in 1908.
After the Vulcan Street Plant was destroyed by fire, an exact replica was built on South Oneida Street and was opened to the public on September 30, 1932. According to the minutes taken at the Appleton Historic Preservation Committee meeting on October 21, 2008, the replica of the Vulcan Street Plant was, “... painstakingly constructed duplicating all of the building's original features.”
This site was dedicated as an ASME National Historic Engineering Landmark, jointly designated with ASCE and IEEE on September 15, 1977.
See also
- List of IEEE Milestones
- War of CurrentsWar of CurrentsIn the "War of Currents" era in the late 1880s, George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison became adversaries due to Edison's promotion of direct current for electric power distribution over alternating current advocated by several European companies and Westinghouse Electric based out of Pittsburgh,...
- Samuel InsullSamuel InsullSamuel Insull was an Anglo-American innovator and investor based in Chicago who greatly contributed to creating an integrated electrical infrastructure in the United States. Insull was notable for purchasing utilities and railroads using holding companies, as well as the abuse of them...