Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, Wakefield, Mass.

Title

Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department, Railroad Street/North Avenue, 1909

Description

"The Town of Wakefield purchased the holdings of the Citizens Gas and Light Company, including the land, buildings and equipment, on Railroad Street, now North Avenue, in 1894. In 1908, 14 years after taking over the company's operations, the light plant was losing money by generating electric current on 'old and worn machinery' in inadequate facilities. Although the 'gas-producing branch' was in good financial shape, it was in need of a new tank since the existing holder's capacity was far too small. The Light Board asked Town Meeting for $72,000 to 'rebuild and rehabilitate' the plant, putting it in first class condition. Voters decided to elect a nine-member committee to research the matter, including whether electric current could be produced by a neighboring city or town at a less expensive cost per kilowatt-hour. The next year, 1909, was a year of reconstruction, reorganization and repair as a result of the Town meeting directive. New switchboards, generators ad transformers were added to the electric side, a new gas holder, with a capacity of 100,000 cubic feet, was added to the gas department, as was a new retort house. The department also entered intoa two-year agreement to purchase its day current from the Town of Reading. The Light Plant office was moved offsite, to the 'old court room' at the Town Hall, in 1909, because of the increasing business at the plant. The gas holder was dismantled in 1943, and a new plant was erected at the site in 1951." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.

Image from the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department annual calendar, 2009

Photo courtesy of the Wakefield Historical Society.

Contributor

Institution: Lucius Beebe Memorial Library

Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department (Wakefield, Mass.)

D'Onofrio, Jayne M.

Coverage

Massachusetts--Middlesex (county)--Wakefield

Date

1909

Format

image/jpeg

Publisher

[Wakefield, Mass.] : Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department

Subject

Electric utilities

Gas companies

Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department (Wakefield, Mass.)

Type

still image

Photographs

Original Format

1 picture : b&w

Extent

18 x 32 cm.